September 2015 Outcrop

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 64 • No. 9 • September 2015

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

2015 Summit Sponsors E x clus ive Lu nc he o n Sp o nso r

G o ld Sp o nso rs

Student Sponsor

Silver Sponsors GEOMARK

Bronze Sponsors

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | 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.

2015 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

RMAG STAFF

PRESIDENT

SECRETARY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Marv Brittenham president@rmag.org

Stephanie B. Gaswirth sgaswirth@usgs.gov

Carrie Veatch, MA cveatch@rmag.org

PRESIDENT-ELECT

1st YEAR COUNSELOR

John Ladd john.ladd@discoverynr.com

Jane Estes-Jackson Jane.Estes-Jackson@mcelvain.com

MEMBERSHIP & EVENTS MANAGER

TREASURER-ELECT

TREASURER

Tom Sperr tsperr@bayless-cos.com

Paul Lillis plillis@usgs.gov

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

2nd YEAR COUNSELOR

Chris Eisinger chris.eisinger@state.co.us

Terri Olson tmolson8550@gmail.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT

Mel Klinger melklinger@eurekageologicalconsulting.com

Hannah Rogers hrogers@rmag.org PROJECTS SPECIALIST

Emily Tompkins Lewis etompkins@rmag.org ACCOUNTANT

Carol Dalton cdalton@rmag.org MANAGING EDITOR

Will Duggins will.duggins@i-og.net

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Rates and sizes can be found on page 55. 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.

Holly Sell holly.sell@yahoo.com Greg Guyer Greg.Guyer@halliburton.com

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

Cheryl Fountain cwhitney@alumni.nmt.edu

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

Andre Scheinwald aschein33001@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY NOON LUNCHEON RESERVATIONS

RMAG Office: 303-573-8621 | Fax: 303-476-2241 | staff@rmag.org or www.rmag.org

DESIGN/PRODUCTION

Nate Silva nate@nate-silva.com

The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

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OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES 15 RMAG & RMAG Foundation: Award for Excellence in Teaching Earth Sciences 16 Lead Story: The Denver Basin Trilogy

32 RMAG Luncheon programs: Louis J. Mazzullo 36 RMAG Luncheon programs: Terri Olson 54 Calendar 55 Advertiser Index

38 What’s New at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument?

55 Outcrop Advertising Rates

48 Discover the Geologic Secrets of The Denver Earth Resource Library

2 RMAG 2015 Summit Sponsors

50 RMAG On The Rocks Field Trips DEPARTMENTS 6 RMAG July 2015 Board of Directors Meeting

ASSOCIATION NEWS

37 RMAG Rockbusters Ball 45 RMAG Hot Plays Fall Symposium 47 RMAG Fall Symposium Core Workshop

8 President’s Letter

48 RMAG Geologists’ Student Event

14 Welcome New RMAG Members!

49 RMAG Sporting Clay Tournament

28 Mineral of the Month: Calcite

53 3D Seismic Symposium

31 In The Pipeline

Vallecito Conglomerate in Vallecito Creek, approximately 20 miles northeast of Durango, CO. Precambrian quartz-pebble conglomerate showing milky quartz and bright red-orange jasper.

Unlike similar Precambrian conglomerates, most notably the famous gold-rich Witwatersrand in South Africa, the Vallecito Conglomerate was derived from unmineralized highlands and is not auriferous.

Photo Copyright © Carl F. Brink 2015 References for Further Reading: Barker, F., 1969, Gold Investigations in Precambrian Clastic and Pelitic Rocks, Southwestern Colorado and Northern New Mexico: USGS Bulletin 1272-F.

54 RMAG Foundation

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COVER PHOTO

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Barker, F., 1969, Precambrian Geology of the Needle Mountains, Southwestern Colorado: USGS Professional Paper 644-A.

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RMAG JULY 2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

By Stephanie Gaswirth, Secretary sgaswirth@usgs.gov

The July meeting of the RMAG Board of Directors was held on July 15, 2015 at 4 p.m. I was doing some summer traveling, so President-Elect John Ladd graciously offered to take the minutes for the meeting.

The July luncheon was well attended; be sure to sign up for upcoming luncheons as they have been selling-out! The 2015 RMAG Fall Symposium on Thursday, October 8, has expanded its speaker schedule to include more data-robust and thought-provoking presentations. Registration is open for what is certain to be an exciting technical event. There will also be a core workshop the following day. Space is limited and registration for this event will open in early August. Registration is now open for the Sporting Clay Event on September 17th at the Kiowa Creek Sporting Club.

Earlier this month, the inaugural meeting of the Corporate Advisory Board occurred and Matt Silverman was elected committee chair. This committee will hold bi-annual meetings, and includes senior geoscience managers from a variety of companies and institutions in the region who will advise the RMAG Board on technical training and other programs that will best support our membership.

Enjoy the remainder of summer! I hope yours has been as sweet as mine (picture from Hersheypark)!

KES T

C

OSCIENCE L GE , LL RE

Thomas E. Hoak, Ph.D. Consulting Geoscientist Kestrel Geoscience, LLC

Structural Geology Seismic Interpretation Magnetic and Gravity Interpretation Basin Analysis and Restoration Regional Desk Studies Integrated Exploration Prospect Generation Presentation Graphics

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Littleton, CO USA

Phone: (303) 933-5805 Cell: (720) 375-3015 kestrelco@comcast.net kestrelgeoscience.com

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

By Cat Campbell

Receiving the Torch for their patience, honesty, and tolerance.

Our RMAG president, one of my mentors, Guest columnist Cat Campbell Marv, did an Marv is an exceptional mentor: outstanding job last month sum“geologists at any career stage marizing the disparity in age can contribute significantly, each and experience in the work force in their own way.” With that in and his experience with the immind, here we go; the Youngportance of mentors. One line uns’ perspective on things. in particular caught my attention and I think it illustrates how

My first geology publication, “My Rock Collection,” appeared in Canton Elementary School’s 1988 collection of poems. Despite this early success, I did not begin my career in geology for 20 years; a start date that classifies me as a young professional (Y.P.).

Since day one at my first job at Encana, mentors have played a vital role in my successes professionally and personally. I would like to thank those O.P.s

1. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED (SO FAR!) FROM O.P.S.

Marv says that O.P.s are storytellers; I agree and add that they are a highly quotable bunch with, for the most part, good advice (see Figure 1, a slide from a presentation Matt Silverman, RMAG past president and another mentor, gave to a group of Y.P.s). These anecdotes from years of trials and tribulations are an incredible source of insight for us Y.P.s. For every new situation I face, from drilling issues to a crash in commodity price, the O.P.s have been there and survived.

The key for the Y.P. generation is to listen, be open-minded, and understand that the latest technology is not always the answer. I have learned to ask questions when I am unsure

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President’s Letter

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 of something because one of my mentors has experienced that exact scenario before and can help me work through it. We don’t always need to reinvent the wheel or be overwhelmed with a challenge.

Malcom Gladwell, in his book, The Tipping Point, says when you do something correctly 10,000 times, you get good at it. The O.P.s in my world haven’t drilled 10,000 wells, but they’ve drilled a lot more than I have.

O.P.s, please keep telling stories and offering advice, we will work on putting away our technology (see #3), listening and doing the right thing.

FIGURE 1: Great advice from Matt Silverman

2. WHAT Y.P.S CAN TEACH O.P.S. There is often a shortcut. This is a speciality of the Y.P. My philosophy on software is that if you want it to do something, there is a way that it is already programmed to do that or you can make it do what you want. O.P.s: you get frustrated at us when we start clicking away. Please note, I am not implying that O.Ps. are not good with computers by any means (although don’t get me started on PowerPoint), but the Y.P. group tends to understand that eventually we can find the solution. Ask or allow us to show you what new trick we

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FIGURE 2: Cat Campbell hiking with a key mentor, Terri Olson

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PTTC Presents: Workshops to Improve Your Skills Reservoir Engineering for Petroleum Professionals

Wednesday, September 9, 2015, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Colorado School of Mines, Ben Parker Student Center, Ballroom A Fee: $250, includes food at breaks, workbook, and PDH certificate.

Instructor: Dr. Luis Zerpa, PhD. Assistant Professor, Colorado School of Mines

This one day short course presents an overview of the fundamental concepts used in petroleum reservoir engineering. Starting with the definition and classification of petroleum reservoirs, and with the presentation of fundamental rock and fluid properties, the instructor will guide the participants in the application of engineering methods for estimation of initial fluid distribution in a reservoir and the estimation of initial volume of hydrocarbons in place. Additionally, this short course will include a brief introduction to unconventional reservoirs, and the application of engineering methods to the estimation of reserves of unconventional reservoirs. At the conclusion of the class participants will: • • • • • • • • • •

Define petroleum reservoirs (conventionals and unconventionals).

Classify petroleum reservoirs (conventionals and unconventionals).

Identify reservoir primary drive mechanisms.

Apply volumetric method for estimation of reserves in petroleum reservoirs.

Apply material balance method for estimation of reserves in petroleum reservoirs.

Classify petroleum resources using up to date definition systems (SPE PRMS).

Apply material balance methods to estimate reservoir performance and recovery.

Apply engineering methods to estimate water influx from aquifer in natural water drive petroleum reservoirs.

Apply decline curve analysis to estimate reservoir performance and recovery.

Apply reservoir engineering methods to unconventional reservoirs.

Decline Curve Analysis and Economics – A Basic Introduction

Wednesday, September 23, 2015, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Colorado School of Mines, Ben Parker Student Center, Ballroom C Fee: $250, includes food at breaks, workbook, and PDH certificate.

Instructor: Dr. L. Peter Galusky, Jr. P.E. Principal Environmental Eng. Texerra LLC.

This one-day course will provide an overview and primer on the use of decline curve forecasting of oil and gas production and economics. The course may be useful to engineering and economic professionals needing a hands-on, practical understanding of decline curve analysis to make them more effective users of petroleum economics software. Following a review of basic mathematics (tailored to class needs), Microsoft Excel will be used to “build” decline curve models and to do mathematical and economic computations. Expected course outcomes include an understanding of the mathematical concepts of decline curve analysis and the use of these methods in forecasting oil and gas production and economics. This is a beginning-level course for entry-level professionals and those new to decline curve analysis. Students are encouraged (but not required) to bring laptop computers to class.

Well-Log Sequence Stratigraphy: Applications to Sandstones and Shales Tuesday – Thursday, December 8-10, 2015, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Ben Parker Student Center, Ballroom C

Fee: $750, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Jeff May

This seminar provides a hands-on, practical approach to the sequence stratigraphic analysis of well logs and its application to well-log correlations. The course is conducted in a workshop format within which participants are introduced to the basic concepts and models of sequence stratigraphy, followed by numerous exercises.

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

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President’s Letter

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just figured out. It makes us feel appreciated (Figure 2).

3. HOW WE LEARN/LIVE/WORK/ THINK DIFFERENTLY.

Growing up in the last few decades of the 20th century was different than growing up in the middle few decades of the 20th century (Figure 3; some of you are shaking your heads muttering “understatement!”). Technology has been at our fingertips since we were middle schoolers, or earlier, and has changed our expectations of delivery time and accessibility of data. We want things fast-paced and digital. It is not impatience, but rather a style that enables us to work fast and in a way in which we are comfortable. The world is constantly changing and we want to change with it.

When I start working a new area, which these days is about once a month, I Google it; much to the chagrin of my three local O.P.s. Google is fast and always sends me down a path to find the data I am looking for. We prefer searchable access to information rather than a personal library. Although the minds of some of my local O.P.s are personal libraries, maybe that’s why they don’t rely on Google?

FIGURE 3:

1982 OP versus YP While the O.P.’s were starting their careers many of the Y.P’s were just getting started on life

Marv Brittenham in 1982 (right)

TO THE FUTURE

I feel fortunate to be a young professional at this time when experienced professionals remain active as geologists in the work force as well as with professional societies such as RMAG. There is a wealth of knowledge out there and it is up to us to be sure it is passed to the Y.P.s before our O.P.s throw in the towel and ski full time.

Thank you to Marv for both being my mentor and giving me the opportunity to write this column.

Cat Campbell in 1982

THE BOOK CLIFFS, UTAH: A CASE STUDY IN COASTAL SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY

2015 Schedule 20 – 24 April 18 – 22 May 24 – 28 Aug OUTCROP | September 2015

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Course led by: William W. LiLle, Ph.D. InformaOon and sign up at: hLp://liLleww.wordpress.com Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

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WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Rod Blackford

works at Two Olive Trees LLC in Las Cruces, NM.

Matthew Buoniconti is a Geologist at C12 Energy in Denver, CO.

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Mark Germinario

is an Exploration Manager at Beacon E&P complany in Denver, CO.

Chris Hall

is an Advisor Geologist at SM Energy in Denver, CO.

Sean Horne

is a student in littleton, CO.

Scott Manwaring

is a Geosteerer at Whiting Petroleum Corporation in Denver, CO.

Allison Mast

is a student in El Paso, TX.

Geoffrey Rigsby

is a Regional Manager at VibraTech, Inc. in Austin, TX.

Amanda Waller

is a Sales Representative at Core Laboratories in Denver, CO. OUTCROP | September 2015

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN SECTION 2015 AWARDEES

RMAG & RMAG Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching Earth Sciences - 2015

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At the July 1st luncheon, the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Foundation has honored a teacher that actively promotes excellence in teaching of earth science with its “Teacher of the Year Award.” The RMAG, K-12 Education and Outreach Committee, solicits and judges applications submitted by teachers from the Front Range area. The award, which is made possible by generous donations and supporters of the RMAG Foundation, consists of a plaque and a $1000 cash award.

The 2015 recipient of the RMAG Excellence in Teaching Award is Mr. Kent Hups. Kent is a graduate of the Metropolitan State University where he earned a B.S. degree in Geology and Business Administration. Kent teaches Geology, Biology, Meteorology, Applied Physical Science, and Environmental Science to students in grades 9 through 12 at Northglenn STEM High School. He has been a teacher for the past 14 years.

Kent provides all of his students with opportunities to become scientists and to experience scientific discoveries, regardless of their background or socioeconomic disposition. He exposes his students to real science. His students experience what professional scientists do as they participate in life changing activities. Kent constantly challenges his students and pushes them to new levels.

Kent’s colleagues describe him as a competent, focused, and valuable educator, who is perceptive to all components of the educational process and is committed to his student’s education. He is valued as a “student focused” educator and a leader.

Outside the classroom, Kent has contributed his talents at a professional level to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, where he played a role in the excavation, data collection, and specimen cataloging at the Snowmastodon Project near Snowmass. After the excavation, Kent continued to contribute to the project by developing a hands-on training program for his students, who sorted through the remains of thousands of pounds of Pleistocene sediments in the

search of small bones and seeds. Kent’s efforts became the focus of a project for his students, who researched the specimens on their own and presented their findings to a panel of scientists. Recognized by the museum for his successes, Kent was chosen to oversee the science projects of 10 high school teens, which were part of the museum’s Teen Scholars Program. All of these students exceeded original expectations. One student was selected to participate in the National Science Fair in Washington D.C., where she personally presented her project to the President.

Clearly, Kent embodies all the characteristics of a teacher who has made a lasting impact on our youth by changing their lives in a positive way. His work and contributions are visibly growing the next generation of earth scientists. It is to people like Kent that we owe our gratitude for developing young minds and for planting the seeds of passion for geology and the sciences. Kent represents the best of those who teach earth science and is a very deserving educator worthy to be presented the RMAG’s 2015 Teacher of the Year Award.

—Jerry Cuzella 15

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LEAD STORY

The Denver Basin Trilogy The Colorado Geological Survey Brings Geology to Groundwater in the Denver Basin at a New Level

iStock.com

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Lead Story INTRODUCTION

The Denver hydrologic basin is defined by the extent of the Upper Cretaceous Fox Hills Sandstone, as shown by the blue outline. Its area covers much of the Front Range urban corridor from Greeley to Colorado Springs where the strata provide groundwater to hundreds of thousands of residents. Geologic mapping at a 1:24,000 scale by the CGS, green hachure, and USGS, blue hachure, covers much of the west half of the basin. Results provide detailed descriptions of stratigraphy and structure to help understand characteristics of the important Denver Basin bedrock aquifers.

Denver Basin bedrock aquifer system is mysterious and, at the same time, over-simplified. This leads to misconceptions and inadequate planning of critical water resources.

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The Colorado Geological Survey (CGS) has a mission to help build sustainable communities through good science, collaboration, and sound

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FIGURE 1: Outline of the Denver Basin.

The Denver hydrologic basin supplies groundwater to hundreds of thousands of residents along Colorado’s urban corridor. Defined by the extent of the Fox Hills Sandstone within the greater Denver structural basin, the Denver hydrologic basin, or Denver Basin to the water community, extends south 120 miles from Greeley to Colorado Springs, and east 80 miles from Golden to Limon (Figure 1). It has a long history of geologic investigation with a growing focus on groundwater in the 1970s and 80s. In response to increasing reliance on groundwater resources through the 1970s, the Colorado Legislature passed Senate Bill 5, signed into law by Governor Lamm in 1985, calling for promulgation of the Denver Basin Rules. These rules codified the Denver Basin bedrock aquifers according to geologic interpretations of the strata at the time, using available surface and subsurface data, following standard subsurface correlation methodology. Delineation of distinct regional aquifers was based on well-to-well geophysical log correlations that sought to delineate basin-wide impermeable shale layer barriers. The bedrock aquifer names, Laramie-Fox Hills, Arapahoe, Denver, and Dawson, have almost become household names. Yet the public, along with many water planners and engineers, do not recognize the complexity of the geologic context of the bedrock aquifer system. For many, the

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Lead Story

management of mineral, energy and water resources. Following this mission, the CGS contributed three important works aimed at enhancing knowledge of, and communicating the complexities of, the Denver Basin bedrock aquifer strata. The set of contributions forms a trilogy that begins with detailed surface mapping along the western edge of the Denver Basin where strata rise at the basin’s structural edge. This forms a foundation for extending detailed cross sections through the subsurface to illustrate stratigraphic changes away from the Laramide active uplift front. Finally,

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characteristics of aquifer systems on a regional basis very efficiently. These advances have allowed refined interpretation and better illustration of the complexity of the bedrock aquifer stratigraphy.

the data culminate with a series of structure, isopach, and paleogeography maps to illustrate the three-dimensional architecture of the basin in a manner that both the geologic community and public can understand.

Contemporary digital technology and a vastly expanded subsurface database than was available to earlier efforts facilitated this effort at a new level. High speed computers and complex software packages facilitate geophysical log correlations and data management.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology allows complex mapping techniques to spatially define three dimensional

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THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FORMATIONS, SURFACE GEOLOGIC MAPPING

For the past two decades the CGS has been mapping 1:24,000 quadrangles within the Denver Basin through the National Cooperative Mapping Program STATEMAP program of the Unite States Geological Survey (USGS).

To date, 24 quadrangle maps have been completed by the CGS, which combined with another 25 quadrangle maps by the USGS, provides extensive coverage of almost half of the basin’s footprint (Figure 1). CGS coverage focuses on the southwest corner of the basin where the entire stratigraphic section of the Denver Basin bedrock aquifers is exposed at the surface. The area coincides with communities that rely heavily on groundwater. In 2011 geologist Jon Thorson and the CGS compiled the results of the 1:24,000 scale mapping into a set of two 1:50,000 scale maps of this portion of the basin (Figure 2). The publication, Geology of Upper Cretaceous, Paleocene and Eocene Strata in the Southwestern Denver Basin provides a detailed description of the Denver Basin bedrock aquifer strata at the basin edge.

It illustrates the considerable

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Lead Story

FIGURE 2: Southern Geologic Compilation Plate.

The southern plate of the 1:50,000 compilation of STATEMAP quadrangle mapping covers the southeastern corner of the Denver Basin that includes the Colorado Springs area. This area includes outcrops of the Upper Cretaceous Fox Hills Sandstone (moss green), Laramie Formation (light green), and members of the Denver Basin Group (shades of pink and brown). The Denver Basin Group, as informally defined in the compilation, are strata shed off of the active Front Range uplift to the west. Yellow shade shows Quaternary deposits covering the bedrock formations.

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Lario Oil & Gas Company Established 1927

Lead Story

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WWW.LARIOOIL.COM

Proud sponsor of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

variability in the sediments shed into the active Denver tectonic basin and presents a simplified naming classification for the strata (Figure 3). Generally, strata fit within the dual D1 and D2 Denver Basin sequences proposed

by Raynolds (2002), but display variability depending on source rock type and distance from the active Laramide uplift front.

These strata consist of a series of fluvial sediments deposited in a coalescing fan complex extending from the rising Laramide Front range uplift eastward across the subsiding Denver structural basin downwarp. Early strata within the D1 sequence record denudation of older Mesozoic sedimentary and volcanic cover of the emerging uplift, notably with the polymictic Arapahoe Conglomerate and andesitic Pikeview Formation in the Colorado Springs area. Next, robust distributary fan systems, represented by the Pulpit Rock Formation near Colorado Springs (Thorson, 2011) and Wildcat Fan near Sedalia, (Raynolds, 2004) reached out into the basin.

High energy fans waned as finer-grained sediments within the Denver Formation dominated the basin spanning the time of the Cretaceous to Tertiary transition.

A later pulse of robust fan development within the D2 sequence is marked by the Dawson Arkose wedge preserved in the highlands of southern Douglas County and northern El Paso County, and the Palmer Divide.

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Lead Story

FIGURE 3: Denver Basin Group Facies Diagrams.

Diagrams show the many facies of the Denver Basin Group recognized at the surface. Multistoried fan complexes dominate the west edge of the basin adjacent to the Laramide uplift source.

Facies are distinguished by lithic composition of sediment grains and stratification. North of the Palmer Divide, arkose prevails except where andesitic clasts and matrix differentiate the Denver Formation. South of the Palmer Divide, sediments containing predominantly andesitic clasts prevail in the Pikeview and Jimmy Camp Formations.

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A portion of a cross section extending east from Palmer Lake into the Denver Basin shows how rapidly facies change within the Denver Basin Group. Robust alluvial fan activity at the active Laramide uplift produced multistoried arkosic sandstone intervals (in yellow) that give way basinward to shale-dominant strata (darker colors). Aquifer characteristics change correspondingly from optimal near the range front to less predictable in the basin.

FIGURE 4: Cross Section Example Illustrating Facies Changes into the Denver Basin.

Lead Story

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Lead Story

Projecting detailed surface mapping into the subsurface logically followed as a way to characterize and illustrate the variability in the strata forming the Denver Basin bedrock aquifers. Funded by a Colorado Water Conservation Board Severance Tax Trust Fund Operational Grant, the CGS generated 15 basin-wide cross-sections titled Cross-sections of the fresh-water bearing strata of the Denver Basin between Greeley and Colorado Springs, Colorado. These sections followed alignments of cross sections constructed by the Colorado Division of Water Resources in the 1980s during promulgation of the Denver Basin Rules.

The new cross sections were built in Petra© using a much expanded dataset of geophysical logs than available to the previous efforts. With the power of the oilfield software to display geophysical logs and iteratively apply alternating cross section datum picks, geologists at CGS could delineate fan systems as they thinned from range-front out into the basin (Figure 4).

These cross sections tie surface formations described by Thorson (2011) with the dual sequence proposed by Raynolds (2002) using geophysical logs from 737 boreholes across the basin. They illustrate how rapidly the strata change from a series of stacked sandstone packages

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assemblage. The intent is to change the conventional view and display potential limitations to groundwater occurrence and flow through the changing stratigraphic framework.

A TALE OF TWO SEQUENCES, PROJECTION INTO THE SUBSURFACE

near the range front to a mix of less connected thin lenticular sands isolated by shale-dominated material into the basin.

To the geologic community this three-dimensional model is well recognized and intuitive. To the water community, made up of water districts, planners, and engineers, this model may not fit with conventional thinking.

Conventional views of the aquifers tend to imply a simple layer-cake scenario for the aquifers that ignores lateral variability across the basin. The cross sections have been prepared to help the non-geological community visualize the variability and complexity of this stratigraphic

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THE RETURN OF THE OROGEN, BEDROCK MAP SERIES

Third in the trilogy is a joint effort of CGS and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. This presents a series of maps depicting bedrock geology, structure, formation thickness and paleo-geography of the Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary strata in the Denver Basin. The maps

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Lead Story

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A PROUD MEMBER OF YOUR COMMUNITY.

SUMMARY

The Denver Basin trilogy by the CGS and DMNS shed new light on the complex geologic setting of the vital Denver Basin bedrock aquifers. In an era when increasing attention is given to providing sustainable water resources, these sets of data and illustrations advance the geologic conceptualization of the basin, while at the same time help planners understand limitations of the bedrock aquifer system.

Better vision of strata architecture will help track water level changes in response to pumping. It will help map recharge

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

encana.com/communities/usa/djbasin

OUTCROP | September 2015

were prepared in a GIS framework using data from outcrop exposures and over 3,000 wells and boreholes within the Denver Basin. A bedrock geologic map of the basin illustrates outcrop and subcrop patterns stripped of Quaternary deposits. Graphic design helps non-geologists visualize and understand the complex geologic setting of the strata that form the Denver Basin bedrock aquifers (Figure 5). Structure maps of strata within the Pierre Shale, Fox Hills Sandstone, D1 and D2 sequences of the Denver Basin group show the asymmetry and complex shape of the basin. Isopach maps illustrate how sedimentation/accommodation patterns evolved through the Laramide tectonic phase. The paleo-geographic maps help the reader understand the environment of deposition (Figure 6).

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

Lead Story

FIGURE 5: Structure and Isopach Maps for the Fox Hills Sandstone.

The map on the left is the structure map on the top of the Upper Cretaceous Fox Hills Sandstone in the Denver Basin, contour interval 100 feet from 3700 feet to 7000 feet. The map shows the asymmetry of the basin with the deep axis beneath southeast Denver and northern Douglas County. On the right is an Isopach map of the strata between a marker ash bed in the upper Pierre Shale and the top of the Fox hills Sandstone, contour interval 100 feet from 400 to 900. This shows a high rate of sediment accommodation in the northern part of the basin along the axis as well as along the northeast-trending Boulder-Weld zone north of Denver.

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

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Lead Story

FIGURE 6: Paleo-geographic Map of the Paleocene Denver Basin Group D1 Sequence.

A series of distributary fans extended out from the active Front Range uplift into the slowly subsiding Denver Basin. This maps conveys the geography during the Paleocene in a manner that the general public can easily visualize. It also helps explain why water wells in the Denver aquifer on the west side of the basin perform much better than wells on the east.

OUTCROP | September 2015

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

Lead Story REFERENCES

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 pathways when balancing depletions. The Denver Basin Rules classify regions of the aquifers as non-tributary, which allows extraction of the water volume in place for a given aquifer with a 100-year resource lifetime. Natural recharge rates are very low throughout much of the basin and this administrative scenario leads to mining of a non-renewable resource. Fully aware of this limitation, many water providers in the Front Range urban corridor are implementing aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in the Denver Basin bedrock aquifers. This technology takes renewable surface water during periods of surplus and stores it in the bedrock aquifers, essentially transforming a non-renewable aquifer into renewable storage vessel. For this resource management technique to succeed as intended, it is essential to clearly understand where groundwater will move in the complex stratigraphic setting. As groundwater resource management moves forward, Denver Basin trilogy will prove to be an invaluable tool.

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

Barkmann, P.E., Dechesne, M., Wickham, M.E., Carlson, J., Formolo, S., and Oerter, E., 2011, Cross-sections of the freshwater-bearing strata of the Denver Basin between Greeley and Colorado Springs, Colorado, 19 plates, map scale 1:250,000.

Dechesne, M., Raynolds, R.G., Barkmann, P.E., Johnson, K.R., 2011, Notes on the Denver Basin Geologic Maps: Colorado Geological Survey, 35 p., 14 plates, map scale 1:250,000.

Thorson, J.P., 2011, Geology of Upper Cretaceous, Paleocene and Eocene strata in Southwestern Denver Basin, Colorado: Colorado Geological Survey, 53 p., 3 plates, map scale 1:50,000.

Raynolds, R.G., 2002, Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary stratigraphy of the Denver Basin, Colorado: Rocky Mountain Geology, v. 37, no. 2, p. 111-134.

Raynolds, R.G., 2004, Stratigraphy and water levels in the Arapahoe aquifer, Douglas County area, Denver Basin Colorado: The Mountain Geologist, v.

41, n. 4, p. 195-210.

27

OUTCROP | September 2015

MINERAL OF THE MONTH

By Cheryl Fountain

CALCITE

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

This specimen was found in Cheryl Fountain’s garage while cleaning. The origins are unknown.

Photo by Ryan Fountain.

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

MINERAL OF THE MONTH: CALCITE

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:

CaCO3

COLOR: White/none, it can also

be yellow, gray depending on the impurities within the mineral (Garlick, 2014).

STREAK: White (Garlick, 2014).

LUSTER: Vitreous, resinous, dull

(Farndon, 2009).

CRYSTAL SYSTEM: Trigonal

(Bishop et al, 2005).

CRYSTAL HABIT: Calcite has many

different crystal habits including tabular, prismatic, rhombohedral, and dog tooth spar (Bishop et al, 2005).

SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 2.7 (Bishop et

al, 2005).

HARDNESS: 3 (Garlick, 2014).

FRACTURE: The fracture is not

commonly seen, but is conchoidal when it does.

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tions (Farndon, 2009).

TWINNING: Calcite can have

common twinning and lamellar twinning.

LOCATION: Calcite is one of the

most common minerals and is a major building block of limestone, marble, tufa, travertine, chalk and ooilites (Farndon, 2009) and is often organic in origin (Bishop et al, 2005). Calcite can dissolve in water creating greater permeability and porosity, and on a larger scale vugs and caves. It can be precipitated in veins, and on grains decreasing porosity and permeability, or

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

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OUTCROP | September 2015

MINERAL OF THE AS MONTH: CALCITE

R

OUR TOUCH GET

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

as stalactites and speleothems in caves. Crystals can form in hydrothermal veins, although most deposits are aggregates. Calcite can be found in limestone quarries and metamorphic rocks (FarnTHE OPPORTUNITIES don, 2009).

GROW

FUN FACT: Calcite displays double refraction.

This means that if a transparent calcite crystal is placed on top of an image, a second image will appear, as the crystal is rotated, the first image will remain stationary while the second image will also rotate.

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REFERENCES

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CA WOLF

Bishop, A. C., and William Roger Hamilton. Firefly Guide to Minerals, Rocks & Fossils. Buffalo, N.Y.: Firefly, 2005.

Farndon, John, and Steve Parker. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Minerals, Rocks & Fossils of the World: A Comprehensive Reference to over 700 Minerals, Rocks, and Plant and Animal Fossils from around the Globe and How to Identify Them, with over 2000 Photographs and Illustrations. London: Lorenz, 2009.

Garlick, Sarah. National Geographic Pocket Guide to the Rocks & Minerals of North America.

Rickwood, Peter. “The Largest Crystals.” American Mineralogist 66 (1981): 885-907.

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

48

December 2014

IN THE PIPELINE SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

SEPTEMBER 27-30, 2015

RMAG Luncheon.

Speaker Louis Mazzullo.

“Developing Conventional Reservoirs Unconventionally.”

Location: Maggiano’s Little Italy, Downtown Denver.

RMAG On the Rocks Field Trip.

“Space-Time Travel from the Ancestral Rockies to the Laramide and Beyond-A Transect of the Colorado Front Range.”

Lead by Ned Sterne and Bob Raynolds.

SPE ATCE. Houston, TX.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 PTTC Short Course.

“Reservoir Engineering for Petroleum Professionals.”

Location: CSM, Golden, CO. SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 PTTC Rockies Short Course.

“Decline Curve Analysis and Economics- A Basic Introduction.” Location: CSM, Golden, CO

DIPS Lucheon.

Speaker Dave Nelson. “Foreland Margin of the Paupan Fold Belt.”

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

SEPTEMBER 17, 2015

Oilfield Christian Fellowship.

For reservations, RSVP to OCFDenverChapter@pxd.com or 303-675-2602.

RMAG Sporting Clay Tournament.

Kiowa Creek Sporting Club.

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

OCTOBER 7, 2015 RMAG Luncheon.

Speaker Terri Olson. “Wettability Imaging of Unconventional Mudrock Reservoirs” OCTOBER 8, 2015 RMAG Hot Plays Symposium.

OCTOBER 9, 2015 RMAG Core Workshop.

31

OUTCROP | September 2015

RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Louis J. Mazzullo — September 2, 2015

Developing Conventional Reservoirs Unconventionally

By Louis J. Mazzullo, CPG, RG Petroleum Geological Advisor, Morrison, Colorado

OUTCROP | September 2015

The economics of many of these plays, however, even during the period of high oil prices, were, in places, marginal to uneconomic, with notable exceptions. Part of the problem with developing economic resource plays is a lack of understanding of the geology and long-term decline characteristics of those reservoirs, as many of them had not been producing long enough

Activity in the oil patch over the last decade has focused more on the unconventional shale gas, shale oil, and other “resource”-type plays, to varying success, than on conventional, lower cost exploration and development. Improved frack technology, large shale resources, and higher oil prices had driven the push to develop these resources, and it paid off in providing our country with more energy independence.

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

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RMAG Luncheon programs may now be able to have the breathing room they need to acquire acreage where they were previously pre-empted because of artificially inflated leasing costs brought on by shale plays. Now, more than ever, as vendor prices come down commensurate with oil prices, modern drilling and completion technologies can be applied to the conventional reservoirs, as a means of accelerating production from old fields and in step-out development. A number of conventional reservoirs in the Permian, Denver, and Williston Basins (and elsewhere) are amenable

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32

to get a good sense of their projected performance.

Many of the plays are statistically, rather than scientifically driven. The push to develop the unconventionals often created a void in the search for more proven, conventional reservoirs, drove up leasing costs wherever it was perceived there was even proximity to a hot play, and severely impaired the ability of smaller players to be involved with conventional reservoirs in or out active resource/shale play areas.

Development of conventional reservoirs in the United States had taken a back seat to the unconventional and resource plays, even though many opportunities always existed for new field, infill, and step-out development in old fields. As we are, at least temporarily, entrenched in another cycle of depressed oil prices, the need to hunker down with real science to develop lower-(finding) cost reserves is of paramount concern to many companies that are heavily invested in higher-cost shale and resource plays, and to smaller players who

e 43

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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OUTCROP

Conifer, CO

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452015 OUTCROP | September

RMAG Luncheon programs

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

plays, and so requires that we get back to the science of exploration, if we have the resources to work through the present downturn. Examples of such potential plays are presented for the Morrow of the Permian and Denver Basins, Cisco-Canyon of the Permian Basin, and the Madison of the Williston Basin.

to step-out development and horizontal drilling,

and would benefit by the extraction of bypassed re-

serves, and accelerated production of lower permeability reservoirs.

An understanding of reservoir development

and geometry is essential to the success of such

Louis J. Mazzullo: President, Mazzullo Energy Corp., Midland, TX and Denver, Colorado area (2008-14) Geological Advisory Services to the Oil & Gas Industry Previously Senior Exploration Geologist, Brigham Oil & Gas (2007-2008) and Mediterranean Resources (both Austin, TX) (2006-2007); Petroleum Geological Consultant, Albuquerque, NM (1996-2006); Project Manager, GCL Environmental, Albuquerque, NM (1992-96); Geological Consultant, Midland, TX (1982-86; 198892); Geological Manager, Nearburg Producing Company, Midland, Texas (198688); Uranium Exploration & Development geologist and Project Manager, Phillips Petroleum Co. Albuquerque, NM

(1979-1981); and Chief Geologist, Energy Resources Corp. Blanding, Utah (Uranium exploration and development) (1976-79).

• Brooklyn College, CUNY - BS Cum Laude with Honors, Geology 1973 • State University NY, Stony Brook- MS Earth & Space Sciences, 1975 • University of Chicago- MS Geophysical Sciences, 1976 • Rocky Mountain Section AAPGPresident, 1999-2000 • Permian Basin Section-SEPM 1988-89, President • Various committees and field trip planning • West Texas Geological Society Member 1981- present • Various committees

• Dedicated Service Award, 1992-93 • AAPG Member 1977- present • Texas Professional Geologist #11358 • Wyoming Registered Geologist #PG-974 • Arizona Registered Geologist #26768 • AAPG Certified Petroleum Geologist #4693 • Levorsen Award Recipient, 1990 & 1999, Southwest Section AAPG • Cheney Science Award, 2005Southwest Section AAPG • Best Speaker Award, West Texas Geological Society 2011 Fall Symposium Author of many papers and presentations on carbonate and clastic petroleum and uranium reservoirs in the Permian, Williston, and San Juan Basins.

Thank you to

Dolan Integration Group (DIG) for being RMAG’s Exclusive Luncheon Sponsor for 2015!

OUTCROP | September 2015

34

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

“Producers will work hard to improve efficiency and lower costs” Daniel Yergin, Who will Rule the Oil Market?, New York Times Op-Ed Online, Jan 23, 2015

DIG CAN HELP

Geochemistry for Energy digforenergy.com

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

35

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OUTCROP | September 2015

RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Terri Olson — October 7, 2015

Wettability Imaging of Unconventional Mudrock Reservoirs

By Terri Olson

Terri Olson: With degrees in geology from Colorado College and Dartmouth, Terri Olson worked as a petroleum geologist for seven years before attending Amoco Petrophysics School at the Amoco Research Center in Tulsa. She has worked on exploration, development, and reservoir characterization projects in California, the Midcontinent, the Rockies, and the

texture, while water-wet surfaces appear clean with no residues. In shale samples, the same characteristic textures are often seen, as well as thicker organic coatings interpreted to be bitumen (secondary, migrated organic matter). Examples from multiple shale reservoir formations will be shown, from a range of maturities and mineralogic compositions. Wettability is commonly seen to vary at the pore scale in shale formations, and assumptions that mineral pores remain water-wet can be misleading. The SEM technique also allows the same subarea of a shale sample to be imaged and re-imaged during a cleaning sequence to directly visualize the local removal of organics by harsher solvents.

Understanding wettability is key to optimizing oil recovery. Conventional methods of wettability characterization via core analysis are not feasible in mudrock (shale) reservoirs, owing to the severe difficulties in establishing well-defined initial states and performing fluid displacements in such matrix pore systems.

An alternative method has been developed that utilizes high-resolution SEM imaging of fresh surfaces of preserved samples that have been mildly solvent cleaned to remove bulk fluids. In conventional reservoirs, asphaltene residues cling to oil-wet pore walls and can be distinguished (in secondary electron images at low volt age) by their distinctive nodular, nano-particulate film

North Sea for Amoco and BP, Tom Brown and Encana, and EOG. The last 10 years she has worked mostly on shale plays, and is the Senior Associate Editor of Unconventionals for AAPG Bulletin. Terri joined the Digital Rock Services group of FEI Oil & Gas in October 2014 as Technical Lead, Unconventionals. She has been on the board of DWLS, and is currently on

the board of RMAG as Counselor. Terri is a member of AAPG, SPWLA, and SPE. Terri has organized numerous workshops and short courses on pore scale imaging, digital rock technology, and mudrock petrography, including one for the SPWLA annual symposium in 2013 and one for the annual AAPG conventions in Houston and Denver in 2014 and 2015.

DONATE NOW RMAG contributions support the calendar of 2015 of RMAG events, including short courses, symposia, social events, monthly luncheons, and more.

Click here to make a contribution online!

OUTCROP | September 2015

36

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

T h e R ocky Mounta i n As s oc i a ti on of Geol o gi st s

Rockbusters Ball 2015 Registration and sponsorship open on September 16th.

November 14, 2015 A t t h e W a r w i c k H o37t e l Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

Rockbusters Ball

Rockbusters Ball

OUTCROP | September 2015

FLORISSANT FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT ROCKY MOUNTAIN SECTION 2015 AWARDEES

What’s New at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument?

By Laura L. Wray

It was a clear Saturday in July when members of two Denver geologic study groups gazed westward, envisioning the Guffey Volcano which erupted 34.1 million years ago in the Late Eocene. The subsequent collapse of the slopes of this steep-sided stratovolcano, possibly similar in shape to Mount Shasta (Figure 1), unleashed a torrent of volcanic mud and debris, known as a lahar, which flowed east until it dammed a south-flowing stream drainage, forming Lake Florissant, 34 miles northwest of present-day Colorado Springs.

Our group had gathered FIGURE 1: 14,179-foot Mount Shasta in northern California that could be an analog for the Guffey Volcano. (www.themccloudblog.com) at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument to see fragments scattered locally at the surface indicate an extensive variety of petrified stumps, as well as the locations of still-buried stumps. Several seisleaves, insects, small mammals and rodents, birds, mic and magnetic surveys have been conducted in and fish that have been preserved from volcanic an attempt to identify the locations of other buried and clastic sediments that comprise the Florissant Formation (Figure 2). Periodic lahars continued to stumps, but the technology utilized to date has not be initiated by late Eocene collapse of the volcanic been accurate. flanks. One lahar buried an ancient redwood forest The Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument along a stream valley, which was later flooded by the has been extremely fortunate to have a paleontollake, to a depth of about 15 feet. Dissolution of siliogist, Dr. Herb Meyer, on its staff for twenty years ceous volcanic glass by percolating groundwater al(Figure 3). Dr. Meyer was our guide for the day and lowed the replacement of the organic material by silregaled us with geologic details of the stratigraphy, ica, thereby preserving the intricate cellular details burial history, and preservation of one of the most of the stumps. extensive collections of late Eocene insects (over Erosion has exposed some of these ancient red1500 species have been named) and plant fossils woods as well as other tree species. Petrified wood CONTINUED ON PAGE 41

»»

OUTCROP | September 2015

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

FLORISSANT FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT

FIGURE 2: Stratigraphic column for the Florissant vicinity (mapped by E. Evanoff).

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

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OUTCROP | September 2015

FLORISSANT FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT

FIGURE 3: Dr. Herb Meyer stands in front of “The Redwood Trio” which was excavated using dynamite in the 1920s.

Metal bands hold the stumps together from the resultant fractures. Temperature and humidity studies are being monitored inside the trunks and outside. Photo by Paul Lillis.

FIGURE 4: Dr. Meyer reviews the geologic history of the Florissant Fossil Beds.

OUTCROP | September 2015

40

Photo by Steve Cumella.

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38

(over 140 have been recognized).

He has researched the history of the site, its collectors, and its guardians and thus was able to recount fascinating stories of attempted residential development plans, associated legal battles, and various “wars” over collecting, naming, and recognition. A recent publication, “Saved in Time: The Fight to Establish Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado”, co-authored by Dr. Meyer (Leopold and Meyer, 2012), is a captivating account of the monument’s colorful history.

Dr. Meyer has been the champion of preservation work and paleoclimate research at Florissant.

Under his guidance, the monument employs summer interns, recruited and paid by the Geological Society of America. The interns assist in specimen preservation and the creation of a wide variety of educational materials and independent research. Another group, the Friends of Florissant Fossil Beds, supports one of the interns and raises money for additional scientific and educational projects. A new visitor center, new trail-side exhibits, educational kiosks, new trails, and dissemination of information via smart phone sites are evidence of the monument’s dedication to and innovation for public education (Figure 4). Dr. Meyer, his colleagues, and the interns are responsible for this educational oversight. In addition, Dr. Meyer has proposed that the paleo-elevation of Florissant was approximately 8000’, which is about the same as it is here today. His work comparing both the elevation

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

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»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41

and the climate between the late Eocene and today is gaining wider recognition and acceptance in the scientific community.

If you haven’t been to the Florissant Fossil Beds in some time, it is well worth the two-hour trip from Denver. The new visitor center, including a hall of new exhibits about paleontology, just opened two years ago. An interpretive trail features some large redwood stumps that are similar to modern-day varieties found in coastal California (Figure 5). New trails have just been added to the park with a soon-to-be designed stop on the contact of the Proterozoic Pikes Peak Granite and the late Eocene Wall Mountain Tuff that features an expansive view of the Florissant Valley and the distant mountains (Figure 6).For those of you who are collectors, there is a private quarry just north of the monument which, for a small fee, will provide you with a bag of thinly-bedded, fossiliferous shale and the tools to split those laminae into sheets, revealing the fossils.

With thanks to the following reviewers: Charlie Bartberger, Mark Longman, Logan McMillan, and Herb Meyer.

REFERENCES Abbott, Lon and Terri Cook, 2012, An Extraordinary Fossil Ecosystem – Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, in Geology Underfoot Along Colorado’s Front Range: Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, MT., p.

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FLORISSANT FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT

FIGURE 5: “The Big Stump”, one of the largest in the monument.

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Photo by Laura Wray.

OUTCROP | September 2015

FLORISSANT FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT

FIGURE 6:

A new interpretive stop is planned with a view of Badger Mountain with the Tarryall Mountains to the right. Photo by Charlie Bartberger.

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Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, QEP Resources, Inc. (NYSE: QEP) is an S&P 500 Index member company.

Learn more at www.qepres.com.

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

2015 RMAG Symposium October 8th

Hot Plays The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists presents: the RMAG Fall Symposium

Hot Plays of the Rocky Mountain Region

October 8, 2015 at the Denver City Center Marriott Kick Off Speakers: Mark Sonnenfeld and Lyn Canter - Whiting How mobile is your total oil saturation? SARA analysis implications for bitumen viscosity and UV fluorescence in Niobrara Marl and Bakken Shale, supported by FIB-SEM observations of kerogen, bitumen, and residual oil saturations within Niobrara Marls and Chalks.

Speaker: Howard Melcher - Liberty Oilfield

The Impact of Geological and Completion Parameters on Production in the Denver-Julesburg Basin

Speaker: John Roesink - Jagged Peak Energy

Evolution of the Horizontal Niobrara Play in the Greater DJ Basin - Integrating Geoscience, Well Design, and Completions for Optimum Field Development

Keynote Speaker: David Hill - Encana

Speaker: Sam Scott - Whiting Petroleum Corp.

Standing Tall in North America

Speaker: Jim Emme - Endeavour International Corp.

Piceance Basin Rim Niobrara Play, NW Colorado Liquids-Rich Pot-O'-Gold or Blarney Stone?

Speaker: Andrew Heger - Colorado School of Mines

Stratigraphic Variability and Reservoir Characterization of the Turner Sandstone, Powder River Basin

Speaker: Preston Kerr - SM Energy

The Lower Smackover Brown Dense Play: What’s Hot and What’s Not

Speaker: Steve Sonnenberg - Colorado School of Mines The Graneros-Greenhorn Petroleum System, a Possible New Resource Play, Rocky Mountain Region, USA

Speaker: Rob Sterling - Cirque Resources A Review of the Northern DJ Oil Resource Play

Unlayering the Shannon Formation

Speaker: Michael Tischer - Consulting Geologist

Speaker: Randy Koepsell - Schlumberger

What makes a play hot? The Tectonic Perspective.

Layer Centric 3D Geologic Resolution to Predict Hydrolic Fracture Stimulation

Registration closes October 1st!

Exhibitor Registration and Sponsorship Registration are open!

Please visit www.rmag.org for more information.

With all the unconventional activity occurring across the globe, it is time to review what is driving the technical quality of the “Hot Plays” in the greater Rocky Mountain region. Please mark your calendars for what is sure to be the “HOTTEST” event of the Fall 2015 Technical Season. Geological, Geophysical, Geochemical, Petrophysical, and Structural technical drivers will be presented, describing what the RMAG membership has determined to be the Hottest Plays in the Rocky Mountains.

email: staff@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

Vol. No. 9 | www.rmag.org 91064, 16th Street #1214, Denver,

CO, 80202

fax: 303.476.2241 45

OUTCROP follow: @rmagdenver

web: www.rmag.org | September 2015

FLORISSANT FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 42

171-184.

Leopold, E.B. and H.W. Meyer, 2012, Saved in Time: The Fight to Establish Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado: The University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 139p.

Meyer, H.W., and D.M. Smith, 2008, Paleontology of the upper Eocene Florissant Formation, Colorado. Geol. Soc. of Amer. Special Papers 435.

Meyer, H.M., 2003, The Fossils of Florissant, Smithsonian Books, Washington and London, 258p.

Meyer, H.W., S.W. Veatch, and A. Cook, 2004, Field guide to the paleontology and volcanic setting of the Florissant fossil beds, Colorado, in Field trips in the southern Rocky Mountains, USA, field guide 5, E.P. Nelson and E.A. Erslev, eds., Geol. Soc. of Amer., p.

151-166.

Monument’s website: http://www. nps.gov/flfo/ Monument’s searchable database: http://planning.nps.gov/flfo/

VOLUNTER! As a diverse community of individuals working towards a worthy cause, we believe that your unique talents can bring us all forward. Volunteers are always needed and welcome!

If you would like to volunteer for any of these committees or events, please contact the RMAG office at (303) 573-8621 or staff@rmag.org

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09

October

2015

9:00 AM -12:00PM Weatherford Laboratories Golden, CO

RMAG Fall Symposium Core Workshop Instructors: Stephen Nordeng, Steve Sonnenberg, Rob Sterling, Chip Oakes, Sam Scott, David Katz Course Details Weatherford Laboratories Address: 16161 Table Mountain Parkway, Golden, CO 80403 Lunch will be provided following the course.

Member Price: $150 Non-Member Price: $200 Student/unemployed rate: $75

Cores Three Forks: Stephan Nordeng, University of North Dakota, Three Forks Green River: Steve Sonnenberg, Colorado School of Mines Codell: Rob Sterling, Cirque Resources

(limited number available and must call the RMAG oďŹƒce to register; students must have a copy of student ID)

Contact: Chip Oakes | 720.979.0700 chip.oakes@endeavourcorp.com

Niobrara Condensate: Chip Oakes, Endeavor Corp.

Brown Dense Region: Sam Scott, Whiting Michigan Basin: David Katz, Whiting

Registration closes October 1st at 4:00pm

Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

RMAG Email: sta@rmag.org 47

RMAG Phone: (303) 573-8621 RMAG Fax: (303) 476-2241

MAG

Core OUTCROP | September 2015 Workshop E v e n t

nor Great Western a rocky mountain operator

Discover the Geologic Secrets of The Denver Earth Resource Library Open House, Happy Hour to be held on October 27

GreatGreat Western Western

Great

Are you looking for critical petroleum information that is unpubO I L & G A S COOI LM & PAGNAYS C O M PA N Y lished or unavailable from your 303-398-0302 303-398-0302 standard sources of information? info@gwogco.com info@gwogco.com Do you know that those data could www.gwogco.com exist at the Denver Earth Resource www.gwogco.com Library (DERL)? Exploration and exploitation geoscientists alike, as well as prospectors and researchers, have found hidden scientific gems in the extensive collection at The Rocky Mountain Association DERL that have led to new interpreof Geologists’ Student Event tations and discoveries. at the University of Colorado You are invited to an Open House / Happy Hour at DERL on Tuesday, October 27th from 4:00 – 6:00 PM (730 17th Street B-1, beCU Boulder low street level, Denver, CO 80202).

Experienced users will be on hand Benson 380 to explain the types and loca4:30pm - 5:30pm tions of the various data sets that Pizza will be provided could be the keys to new discovery ideas. In addition, a one-month Speaker: Gus Gustason free membership will be offered to all participants.

Talk: Fuzzy facies: the impact of Please register for this event cryptic bioturbation on facies analysis on the RMAG website. Due to limited space, only 50 people can sign up, but a waiting list will be maintained. If registered participants Sponsored by the RMAG Foundation cannot attend, would they please notify RMAG so that those on the email: staff@rmag.org | phone: 303.573.8621 | fax: 303.476.2241 waiting list can be invited? Thanks web: www.rmag.org | 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202 very much.

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2

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2 , 9

5 1 0

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OIL & G

303-39 info@gw www.g

9/17/2015

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

po rt i n g

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At Kiowa Creek Sporting Club Registration closes September 9, 2015 at 8:00am.

RMAG Member Team of 5 RMAG Member Individual

$500 | Non-Member Team of 5 $100 | Non-Member Individual

rting Cl po

t n

To

u

ay

S

Prizes for individual high score and team 1st, 2nd and 3rd flights.

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

r n9 Vol. 64, No. a m|e www.rmag.org

$625 $125

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.

RMAG Email: staff@rmag.org RMAG Phone: (303) 573-8621 RMAG Fax: (303) 476-2241 49

OUTCROP | September 2015

ON THE ROCKS

FIELD TRIPS REVIEW: July 25, 2015 On-the-Rocks Field Trip

Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine

By Susan Wager The On the Rocks Field trip of July 25, 2015 was to visit and tour the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine. It was a fun and interesting tour of the mine. The district is located 70 miles south of Denver and 20 miles west of Colorado Springs. The mine tour left from OUTCROP | September 2015

the Lowell Thomas Museum in Victor Colorado, but there are other historical museums in Cripple Creek, as well as, the Mollie Kathleen underground tourist mine.

The Cripple Creek Mining District is the largest gold district in the state of Colorado with a total historic production of an

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 52

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

CRIPPLE CREEK & VICTOR GOLD MINE For more information on the mine and tours, which operate daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and by reservation for groups in the winter months: www.ccvgoldmining.com FOR INFORMATION ON THE MOLLIE KATHLEEN: www.goldminetours.com/ goldminetours.com/Intro.html

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ON THE ROCKS FIELD TRIPS REVIEW

estimated 23.5 million gold ounces (2006) and an ore reserve of 119.1 million metric ore tonnes containing 102.7 metric tonnes of gold (131.3 million short ore tons containing 3.3 million contained gold ounces, Dec. 2005). The district is hosted within a Tertiary alkaline diatreme complex, which lies on the southwestern flank of the Pikes Peak granite batholith.

The majority of the historic production came from underground mining of high-grade veins. The implementation of modern heap leaching processes in the district has allowed for the profitable extraction of high tonnage, lower-grade ores. The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company (CC&V) operates the Cresson Mine. CC&V is a joint venture OUTCROP | September 2015

between AngloGold (Colorado) Corp. (67%) and Golden Cycle Gold Corporation (33%).

CC&V operates the Cresson, South Cresson, Upper Cresson, and East Cresson Mines on a seven day a week, 24 hour a day schedule. The operation mines an average of 167,000 metric ore & waste tonnes/day (185,000 short ore & waste tons/day), and crushes up to 64,000 metric ore tonnes/day (71,000 short ore tons/day). The ore produces an average contained grade of 0.85 gram per tonne (0.03 contained gold ounces per ton). The CCV Gold mine has a strong environmental and historical preservation plan in place. For more information: http:// www.ccvgoldmining.com/downloads/Geology%20 Field%20Guide%202006.pdf

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

03 03 March 3, 2016

22nd Annual RMAG & DGS 3D Seismic Symposium Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

53

OUTCROP | September 2015

CALENDAR | SEPTEMBER 2015 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

2

3

4

5

10

11

12

RMAG Luncheon.

Speaker Louis Mazzullo.

6

7

8

LABOR DAY

13

9 PTTC Short Course.

14

15

DIPS Lucheon.

16

17

18

RMAG Sporting Clay Tournament.

20

21

22

23

19 RMAG On the Rocks Field Trip.

24

25

26

PTTC Rockies Short Course.

27

28

29

30

SPE ATCE.

RMAG FOUNDATION

2013-14 +

SCHOLARSHIPS CONTRIBUTIONS

McKenna Fund

Babcock Fund

Stone/Holberg Fund

CSU Fund Bolyard Fund

Veterans Fund

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado College

SCHOLARSHIPS CU Boulder

Rocky Mtn region Universities awarded to veterans attending Rocky Mtn Region Universities

University of WY Fund

AAPG - Imperial Barrel

Morrison Natural History

AAPG Student Leadership

PTTC Futures in Energy

Friend of Dinosaur Ridge

Denver Public Schools

Rocky Mtn Section Rocky Mtn Section

Inner City School attendance Rocky Mtn Section

Golden Pick Award RMAG

Guidebook contribution AAPG Sectional meeting Rockbuster Ball awards

Studying Rocky Mtn Structural Geology Golden

Foster

Studying Rocky Mtn Geology

RMAG Student Summit sponsor CO Science Teacher of the Year CO State Science Fair winners

CONTRIBUTIONS

mineral sets

Contibutions can be made at https://www.rmag.org/i4a/ams/publicLogin.cfm for RMAG members RMAG Foundation | 910 16th Street Mall, Suite 1214 | Denver, CO 80202

OUTCROP | September 2015

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Vol. 64, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

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