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AUGUST 2007

Vol. 28, No. 8August 2007

AUGUST 2007

By WILLARD “WILL” GREENDuring the first week of May six

AAPG members – Jim Hill, PeteMacKenzie, Deborah Sacrey, CarlSmith, Dan Smith and I – traveled toWashington, D.C., joining nearly 300scientists, engineers and businessleaders who made visits on Capitol Hillas part of the 11th annual“Congressional Visits Day,” an eventsponsored by the Science-Engineering-Technology Work Group (see“Washington Watch,” July EXPLORER).

Don Juckett and David Curtiss, ofour GEO-DC office, coordinated theAAPG group.

The six of us each visited the officesof our home congressmen and senatorsand focused on three subjects:

� Future Work Force Needs of theOil and Gas Industry.

� Preservation of Geological andGeophysical Data.

� Research and DevelopmentNeeds of the Domestic PetroleumIndustry in the 21st Century.

We left a two-page outline of theissues and requested action items witheach visited office.

We also had an interesting visit to theoffice staff of the Senate EnergyCommittee. We learned that Sen. JeffBingaman (D-N.M.) and eight othersenators had signed a letter to asubcommittee of the SenateAppropriations Committee requestingthat funding levels for the programs atthe DOE for oil and gas research anddevelopment be no less than the $62.6million appropriated in fiscal year 2006to carry out this important work.

David and Don arranged a meetingfor me (also attended by Don) withBrian McCormack, special assistant tothe president and deputy director ofpublic liaison. His office is in theExecutive Office Building, which hasdouble security stations at the entrance.The purpose of this visit was to reinforcemy invitation to President Bush to speakat the AAPG Annual Meeting in SanAntonio.

The request is still viable but nocommitment has been made.

* * *

The AAPG group in Washington was

housed at theArmy and NavyClub, arrangedthrough thecourtesy of CarlSmith, a member ofthe club.

During our stay,my wife, Marianne,who loves to talkwith people, metan interestingyoung lady – aKurdish citizen ofIraq. She serves in

Iraq as an interpreter on duty 24/7 forthe U.S. Army in areas where enemycombatants are lurking. In May she wasspending some time in the UnitedStates in order to eventually qualify forU.S. citizenship.

We invited her to visit us in Midland.Last week we received a box by

priority mail from Iraq, which had beenopened and inspected. Inside the boxwere photos of her with Iraqi and U.S.military officers, a United States flagand a certificate, which reads:

“United States ArmyOperation Iraqi FreedomSo that all shall know, this flag was

flown in the face of the enemy for 9minutes and 11 seconds and bearswitness to the strength of the Iraqi andAmerican people in rebuilding Iraq anddenying a safe haven for terrorists.”

* * *

Perhaps next year we will have moreAAPG members interested inparticipating in Congressional VisitsDay and similar events targeted atproviding information to the nation’spolicy makers in a manner that reflectsthe value of geosciences professionalsand their contribution to the nation’seconomic, environmental and energysecurity.

Washington is exciting; I look forwardto my next visit.

Have a great day!

3On the cover: An Irish view of the Gulf of Mexico. Members of Repsol’sGulf of Mexico exploration team recently spent four days in western andsouthwestern Ireland observing the “excellent analogs to our subsurfacegeology in the Gulf,” said Repsol senior exploration geologist for NorthAmerica Claudio Bartolini – here specifically, a beautiful outcrop of thelateral basin margin of the Upper Pennsylvanian Ross Sandstone. Theexposed section consists of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. The fieldtrip leader was AAPG member David Pyles, of the Colorado School ofMines in Golden, Colo. The importance of deepwater outcrops is evident ina new AAPG publication that will be released in a matter of weeks. Seestory on page 24. Photo by Claudio Bartolini.

Communications DirectorLarry Natione-mail: lnation@aapg.org

Managing EditorVern Stefanice-mail: vstefan@aapg.org

Editorial AssistantSusie Mooree-mail: smoore@aapg.org

CorrespondentsDavid BrownLouise S. DurhamDiane FreemanBarry FriedmanDennis King

Graphics/ProductionRusty Johnsone-mail: rjohnson@aapg.org

Advertising CoordinatorBrenda MeridethP.O. Box 979Tulsa, Okla. 74101telephone: (918) 560-2647(U.S. and Canada only:1-800-288-7636)(Note: The above number isfor advertising purposes only.)fax: (918) 560-2636e-mail: bmer@aapg.org

Washington Watch 40

Professional News Briefs 42

Geophysical Corner 44

In Memory 45

Regions and Sections 46

Foundation Update 49

www.Update 50

Membership and Certification 51

Readers’ Forum 52

Classified Ads 53

Director’s Corner 54

EMD Column 54

Partners in time? AAPG and the Petroleum Technology 6Transfer Council take the first steps toward a merging ofoperations.

High tech, low costs: Innovations in surface geochemical 8technology are making the potential found in parts of theParadox Basin a reality.

Ironic? CO2 tertiary recovery projects and sequestration 14research are stymied by the same problem: There isn’tenough CO2.

Looking for clues: Natural oil seeps are providing valuable 20information to explorers – especially in frontier areas – thanksto high resolution geochemical methods.

Oh, that’s where they are – a valuable new Atlas of Deepwater 24Outcrops, years in the making, is about to be unveiled.

And starring … planet Earth! A groundbreaking TV series, 30“Faces of Earth,” shows how it was made, how it works andwhat it will look like in the future.

Back to school: AAPG’s Visiting Geoscientist Program is 36ready for another year of college and university activity.

AAPG Headquarters – 1-800-364-2274 (U.S. & Canada only), others 1-918-584-2555

Green

CongressionalVisits Proved

Interesting

Earth Science Week, an annualevent that focuses attention on thestatus of earth science in educationand society – and which celebratesits 10th anniversary this year – will beheld Oct. 14-20.

This year’s theme is “The Pulse ofthe Earth,” and various localactivities will promote public andprofession awareness of the earthsciences.

The theme also will focus attentionon geosciences research, such asthat associated with the International

Polar Year and the International Yearof Planet Earth.

Through these major initiativesEarth Science Week will help spreadunderstanding of the impact theearth sciences have on society.

A poster promoting Earth ScienceWeek is inserted in North Americanissues of this EXPLORER, courtesy ofthe AAPG Foundation. It can befound inserted at page 44.

Members are asked to post orshare the posters appropriately topromote the activities. �

Get Ready for This Year’s ESW

Vol. 28, No. 8The AAPG EXPLORER (ISSN 0195-2986) is published monthly for members. Published at AAPG headquarters, 1444 S.Boulder Ave., P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Okla. 74101, (918) 584-2555. e-mail address: postmaster@aapg.orgPeriodicals postage paid at Tulsa, Okla., and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the U.S.A.Note to members: $6 of annual dues pays for one year’s subscription to the EXPLORER. Airmail service for members:$45. Subscription rates for non-members: $63 for 12 issues; add $67 for airmail service. Advertising rates: ContactBrenda Merideth, AAPG headquarters. Subscriptions: Contact Veta McCoy, AAPG headquarters. Unsolicitedmanuscripts, photographs and videos must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope to ensure return.

The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) does not endorse or recommend any products or services thatmay be cited, used or discussed in AAPG publications or in presentations at events associated with AAPG.

Copyright 2007 by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to AAPG EXPLORER, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Okla. 74101.Canada Publication Number 40046336.

Canadian returns to: Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, Ontario N9A 6J5e-mail: returnsIL@imex.pb.com

4

AUGUST 2007

AUGUST 2007

5

AAPG and the Petroleum TechnologyTransfer Council in early July signed aLetter of Intent for AAPG to assumemanagement of PTTC activities.

The agreement provides for a due-diligence period of 60 days after which,presuming positive negotiations, thetransition to an AAPG-managed PTTCwould occur.

Since 1994, PTTC, funded primarilyby the U.S. Department of Energy withfunds matched by the states andindustry, has been a recognized forcefor transferring exploration andproduction technology to domestic U.S.producers.

Serving industry locally throughRegional Lead Organizations, typicallyat universities or geological surveys,PTTC’s primary focus has been servingindependents.

Congress last year declined toprovide FY 07 funding for manyelements of the DOE’s natural gas andoil R&D program, from which PTTC drewits federal funds. DOE ultimatelyprovided $1 million of funding throughSeptember 2008 to help PTTC transitionto a primarily industry-fundedorganization.

PTTC’s primary tool for transferringE&P technology is regional workshops,which are supplemented with a strongWeb presence, newsletters and otherpersonal outreach. Using these tools,PTTC connects producers, the servicesector, consultants, researchers andothers with the data and technologyinformation needed to spur technologyapplication.

Topics addressed by PTTC activitieshave covered the full spectrum of E&Poperations, including exploration,unconventional resources, enhancedrecovery processes, imagingtechnology, drilling and completion,hydraulic fracturing and many others. �

AUGUST 2007

6

Officer candidates for the 2008-09term have been announced by theAAPG Executive Committee.

Candidate biographies andindividual information will be publishedon the AAPG Web site and inserted inan upcoming EXPLORER.

The president-elect winner will serveas AAPG president in 2009-10. Theterms for both vice president-sectionsand treasurer are two years.

Ballots will be available in spring ‘08.A complete list of AAPG rules and

guidelines governing the campaign –for candidates and supporters – can befound online at http://www.aapg.org/business/candidates/rules.cfm.

The candidate slate is:

President-Elect� John C. Lorenz, Geoflight LLC,

Edgewood, N.M.� Ronald A. Nelson, Broken N

Consulting, Cat Spring, Texas.

Vice President-Sections� David H. Hawk, Energy Analysis

and Answers/Consultant, Boise, Idaho.� W.C. “Rusty” Riese, BP Americas,

Katy, Texas.

Treasurer� Edith C. Allison, U.S. Department

of Energy, Washington, D.C.� Kay L. Pitts, Aera Energy LLC,

Bakersfield, Calif. �

Officer Candidates Named Letter of Intent Signed

AAPG ConsideringPTTC Management

Summer NAPEOffers Prospects

Summer NAPE 2007, a propertyand prospect expo that has becomeone of the industry’s top events, willbe held Aug. 23-24 at the George R.Brown Convention Center in Houston.

The annual event, which last yearattracted about 5,300 attendees and525 booths, is sponsored by NAPEExpo LP, a group comprising AAPG,AAPL (the American Association ofProfessional Landmen), IPAA andSEG.

Summer NAPE, modeled afterNAPE (formerly North AmericanProspect Expo), provides a mid-yearmarketplace for the buying, sellingand trading of oil and gas prospectsand producing properties. The eventbrings state-of-the-art prospects andproperties from the United States andaround the world, advancedtechnology and energy capitalformation all together in one location.

A related E&P forum on“Perspectives on the U.S. Gulf Coast,”sponsored by IHS, will be offered from9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug.22, also at the Brown conventioncenter.

Registration and other details areavailable online at http://www.napeonline.com/home2.asp. �

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AUGUST 2007

7

By LOUISE S. DURHAMEXPLORER Correspondent

Operators have produced more than53 million barrels of oil/condensate and845 billion cubic feet of gas fromMississippian-age Leadville limestone inseven fields in the northern ParadoxBasin region, referred to as the Paradoxfold and fault belt, of Utah and Colorado.

Even so, only 100 wells havepenetrated the Leadville over the entire7,500 square-mile Paradox Basin. Thisequates to about one well per township,according to David Seneshen, vicepresident of Vista Geoscience (formerly

Direct Geochemical).The reason for the sparsity of wells is

pretty straightforward.“Exploration for Mississippian

Leadville-hosted hydrocarbon reservoirsin the Paradox Basin is high risk in termsof cost and low documented successrates of about 10 percent, based ondrilling history,” Seneshen said.

“But the potential for morehydrocarbon reserves is enormous,” headded.

However, money looms as a major

8

AUGUST 2007

Lichens, Free Gas Yields Clues

Geochem Offers Paradox Option

Photos, graphics courtesy of David Seneshen

Left, the Lisbon field, looking east of a sharp contact between the Jurassic Wingate Sandstone and Kayenta Formation. Note the subvertical joints in the Wingate Sandstone,which provide pathways for hydrocarbon seepage. Right, collecting surface soils from outcrop areas in the Lisbon geochemical study area.

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Editor’s note: The poster “New Techniquesfor New Discoveries – Results from the LisbonField Area, Paradox Basin, Utah,” will bepresented Oct. 8 during the Rocky MountainSection’s annual meeting in Snowbird, Utah.

The theme for the meeting, which will runOct. 7-9, is “Exploration, Discovery,Success.”

Co-authors of paper are David Seneshenwith Vista Geoscience (formerly DirectGeochemical) in Golden, Colo., and TomChidsey, Craig Morgan and Michael VandenBerg with the Utah Geological Survey in SaltLake City.

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AUGUST 2007

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obstacle to stepped-up explorationefforts, despite today’s superchargedindustry environment.

For the most part, it’s independentswho operate the Leadville wells, and theydon’t have the deep pockets required forbig exploratory 3-D seismic shoots in thisenvironmentally sensitive region.

Thanks to low cost surfacegeochemical technology, this may ceaseto be an issue.

Looking for Clues

Simply put, this technology focuses onvarious organic and inorganicgeochemical anomalies in surface soils,outcrop fracture-fill soils and vegetation,and six-foot deep free gas that result frommigration of hydrocarbon molecules fromsubsurface reservoirs up to the surfacealong fractures, joints and beddingplanes.

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS),along with Direct Geochemical, recentlycompleted a geochemical study in theParadox Basin, which was funded by theU.S. Department of Energy – a report willbe available near-future via the UGS.

The program was implemented overthe Lisbon and Lightning Draw Southeastfields in Utah. It was designed to test theeffectiveness of several conventional andunconventional surface geochemicalmethods for predicting productive andnon-productive Leadville carbonatereservoirs.

“The main objective in testing thesetechniques is to find low-cost, non-invasive geochemical explorationmethods that could be used to pre-screen large areas for subsequentgeophysical surveys and leaseacquisition,” Seneshen said, “and alsoact as follow-up to classify geophysicalanomalies as (either) productive orbarren.”

“Most of the samples we collectedwere surface soils,” he continued, “butbecause there’s so much outcrop, wealso sampled soil and vegetative tissue(bryophyte moss and lichen) from joints insandstone outcrops to assess organicand inorganic compositional signatures ofascending seepage.

“Both the surface soils and outrcropfracture-fill media work well fordistinguishing between productive andnon-productive areas.”

Free = Good

Free gas sampling also producedgood results.

AUGUST 2007

10

Paradoxfrom page 8

See Geochem Study, page 12

From left:Location of fieldsthat produce fromthe MississippianLeadvilleLimestone, withlocation ofgeochemicalstudy; distributionof Lisbon gas-oilprobabilities; anddistribution ofLightning DrawSoutheast gasprobabilities.Graphics detailsand moreinformation onlineat www.aapg.org.

AUGUST 2007

11

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“I don’t think anyone has ever tried freegas over a Leadville reservoir,” Seneshensaid, “drilling down six feet and extractingair from the soil pores and analyzing thatgas.

“We only did this over Lightning DrawSoutheast field, and it worked especiallywell,” he noted. “We got a good, distincthigh-contrast hydrocarbon anomaly rightover the gas cap of the field.”

In fact, the free gas samplingtechnique is recommended as a follow-upto anomalies identified in a regional soilgeochemical survey.

“Once you’ve found areas to focus inon and have shot 3-D and foundstructures,” Seneshen said, “then you goover this with a Geoprobe and punchholes in the overburden and extract freegas out of the soil to better define theanomaly as to where you want to drill.

“You start big and then gradually focusin with the geophysics and more detailedgeochemistry using free gas instead ofthe soils,” he said, “the reason being theanomalies we see are quite narrow, like700 feet across. This means you musttake samples at short intervals.

“Because you’re using a Geoprobedrill, it gets a little costly, but it’s still afraction of what seismic costs,” Seneshenadded. “And it’s an excellent technique forfollowing up seismic anomalies to see ifthere are hydrocarbons in the reservoir orjust carbon dioxide and nitrogen – thosereservoirs are only about a thirdhydrocarbons, a third carbon dioxide anda third nitrogen.”

High Impact

Results from the recent studyconceivably could have a major impact onfurther Leadville exploration in theParadox Basin.

The main conclusion derived from theeffort is that certain low-cost, non-invasivegeochemical methods are effective aspre-screening and follow-up tools forexploring Leadville hydrocarbonreservoirs, according to Seneshen.

He noted they can see both of theproject’s target fields using combinationsof hydrocarbons and trace metals in thesoils and vegetation.

“We can use a regional techniquetaking samples every 1,500 feet,”Seneshen said, “to focus furthergeophysical surveys or lease acquisitions.

“This conceivably could be applicableto other basins,” he added, “but youwould have to test there first, becausewith surface geochemistry every area isdifferent.” �

Geochem Studyfrom page 10

Left: Bryophytes (mosses) and lichenalong curvilinear soil-filled, polygonaljoints in Navajo Sandstone over thewater-leg of Lisbon, which were usedas samples for organic and inorganicgeochemical analysis.

Right: Distribution of Lisbon gasprobability derived from three-component discriminant analysis ofthermally desorbed C1-C12hydrocarbon from outcrop-fracture fillsoils over the Lisbon’s gas-cap, oil-legand water-leg. Methane contributesmost toward discrimination ofmicroseepage over the gas-cap fromthat over the oil- and water-legs.Propane is the most important variablefor distinguishing microseepage overthe oil-leg from that over the gas-capand water-leg. The location of theLightning Draw Southeast gas field ispredicted by the discriminant model.

AUGUST 2007

13

AUGUST 2007

Capture, Costs Part of Equation

CO2 Answers Are as Elusive as CO2By DAVID BROWN

EXPLORER CorrespondentToday’s high product prices and

demand for oil make tertiary recoveryprojects important and even necessary.

Carbon dioxide injection, betterknown as CO2 flooding, is a techniqueof choice for enhanced recovery fromolder oil fields.

At the same time, concern aboutglobal warming has generated intenseinterest in carbon sequestration –injecting CO2 into deep reservoirs forstorage.

So it’s high irony that CO2 tertiaryrecovery projects and sequestrationresearch are stymied by the same,restrictive problem:

There isn’t enough CO2.“It’s ridiculously expensive to extract

the carbon dioxide in the purity that’srequired for CO2 injection,” said GarethRoberts, president and CEO of DenburyResources Inc. in Plano, Texas.

“Not all CO2 is created equal. Itdepends on what it’s mixed with, andthe pressure is also important,” headded.

Denbury Resources draws on anatural CO2 supply from Jackson Dome,near Jackson, Miss., to feed most of itstertiary recovery projects.

Roberts said the oil industry needsCO2 of 98 percent purity or more forenhanced recovery, to ensure miscibilityfor oil production.

Commercial supplies of CO2 used inthe food and beverage industry also are

available, but they are even more pureand vastly more expensive, accordingto Jim Drahovzal, senior researchgeologist for the Kentucky GeologicalSurvey in Lexington, Ky.

Drahovzal will serve as technicalprogram chair for the AAPG EasternSection annual meeting, “Winning theEnergy Trifecta,” Sept. 16-18 inLexington.

The meeting includes a Sunday

workshop on carbon dioxide flooding forEOR followed by two morning sessionson CO2 sequestration.

He recalled talking to a commercialsupplier who could deliver a usefulamount of beverage-quality CO2.

“The best price I understood was $90per ton, delivered in one of these 20-tontankers,” Drahovzal said.

“It’s a considerable thing when you’rethinking about a 3,000-ton pilot,” henoted, “like some people are talkingabout for these regional pilot projects.”

Today’s News: Wait

Behind most of the current interest incarbon sequestration is an assumption:The United States will require powerplants and other industries to capturethe CO2 they produce.

But that hasn’t happened yet, sothere’s no significant capture of carbondioxide for research purposes or

injection.“The whole thing is kind of waiting

right now in terms of legislationconcerning CO2, in terms of mitigatingthat to the atmosphere,” Drahovzal said.

For that reason, many peopleworking on CO2 injection are looking ata 10-year time frame to developCO2/tertiary recovery flooding andCO2/carbon sequestration on a largescale.

Roberts said Denbury Resources canrecover natural CO2 for $2 to $3 per ton.It contracts for captured, by-productCO2 for about 1.5-to-two times thatamount – roughly $3 to $6 per ton.

A tax on carbon emissions couldpersuade power generators and otherCO2 producers to capture carbondioxide, but it would have to be a stifftax, he said.

14

“It’s ridiculously expensive to extract thecarbon dioxide in the purity that’s requiredfor CO2 injection. Not all CO2 is createdequal. It depends on what it’s mixed with,and the pressure is also important.”

See Sequestration, page 16

DrahovzalRoberts

AUGUST 2007

15

AAPG’s Eastern Section will offer aspecial focus on carbon dioxideinjection for enhanced oil recovery(EOR) and sequestration at its annualmeeting in Lexington, Ky.

A full-day September 16workshop, sponsored by AAPG,examines “EOR and the ExpandingWorld of Carbon Dioxide Flooding.”Instructors will be Steve Melzer ofMelzer Consulting in Midland andBernie Miller of Miller EnergyTechnologies in Lexington.

“Steve is an expert with CO2enhanced recovery. He’s workedbasically in West Texas. And Berniehas done work here in Kentucky,”

said Jim Drahovzal, the meeting’stechnical program chair.

The morning oral session onSeptember 17 will include eightpresentations on CO2 injection, withemphasis on Michigan, Kentucky,Appalachia and the Illinois Basin.

The session also will look atsequestration potential in salinereservoirs. According to SeanPlasynski, sequestration technologymanager for the U.S. National EnergyTechnology Laboratory, salinereservoirs could provide 10 to 40times the CO2 storage capacity ofexisting oil reservoirs.

A September 18 morning oral

session will feature presentations ongeologic sequestration technologyand policy.

The meeting’s poster sessions alsoinclude papers relevant to carbonsequestration, Drahovzal said.

Despite high interest in CO2injection, research has proceededfairly slowly so far.

Drahovzal said Kentucky isconsidering funding for two deepwells to collect data for potential CO2sequestration projects.

“Two wells may be better thannothing,” he noted, “but when youlook at an entire state, it’s not a lot.”

– DAVID BROWN

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AUGUST 2007

16

An alternate system of cappingemissions and allowing companiesunder the limits to sell offsets also couldlead to CO2 capture, at a lower per-tonproduced cost, Roberts noted.

“The carbon tax that would berequired would be on the order of $3 anMcf, which is on the order of $50 a ton,while the cap-and-trade would besomething like $20 a ton,” he said.

A Costly Project

Sean Plasynski is sequestrationtechnology manager for the U.S.Department of Energy’s National EnergyTechnology Laboratory (NETL) office inPittsburgh.

He’s faced with the problem ofgetting CO2 supplies for injectionresearch, and he acknowledged thecost of capturing produced carbondioxide.

“Capture costs can be veryexpensive,” he said. “To put in a mainscrubber (in a power generating plant)can create an increase in electricitycost of 75 percent.”

Beyond that, there’s a transportationcost to move the CO2 to an injection siteor tertiary recovery project.

“In most cases you don’t have apower plant sitting right on top of aproducing field,” Plasynski noted.

Drahovzal said new research targetsCO2 production from clean-coaltechnologies. One of those is IntegratedGasification Combined Cycle (IGCC),where coal is gasified and power plantsproduce electricity from both gasturbines and heat-recovery steamturbines.

“A lot of people are interested inseeing if we can separate CO2 fromthings like IGCC or coal-to-liquid units.In both cases, those units wouldproduce a pure stream of CO2,” he said.

NETL research into sequestrationhas a $100 million budget split betweencore research and development andinfrastructure projects, according toPlasynski.

The core R&D work includes:� Methods of capturing CO2.� Direct and geologic storage.� Breakthrough concepts that

improve economics.� Work with other produced gases,

like methane.� Injection monitoring, measurement

and verification.The infrastructure work includes

seven regional sequestration programsinvolving all but nine of the U.S. states.

Sequestrationfrom page 14

CO2 Injection Gets Extra Attention

See CO2 Injection, page 18

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“There’s really no silver bullet here.All these things need to work together,”Plasynski said.

Aside from the problem of gettingCO2 for injection research, he has toidentify potential reservoirs for long-termcarbon dioxide storage.

“First, you have to capture it beforeyou can store it,” he said. “But even ifyou could capture it for nothing, youbetter have a place to store it.”

Significant Problems

Drahovzal said reservoircharacterization is a significant problemin planning CO2 injection for carbonsequestration.

“We’ve been looking at sequestrationpotential for six years,” Drahovzal said.“The problem is, many times we don’thave good reservoir data.

“The other thing that worries us isfracturing. In many cases we don’t knowif they connect to the surface, or if theymight connect to aquifers,” he added.

Not every existing oil reservoir canbe considered a candidate for CO2injection for storage, Plasynski said.

“You don’t want to be in an activefault location. You want a deep reservoirwith good, impenetrable caprock aboveit,” he noted.

“You want it to be deep enough,

because when you put CO2 in it in asupercritical state, you want it to staythat way,” he said.

But a secondary recovery waterflooddoesn’t eliminate a reservoir fromconsideration.

“A field that has a lot of injectionwells is fine, as long as those have beenfilled,” Plasynski said.

It Makes Cents

When carbon sequestration can belinked to tertiary oil recovery, theeconomics improve dramatically,although recovery project economics

are sensitive to CO2 pricing.“It’s the other side of the story, and

the side that makes more sense,”Roberts said.

He sees existing fields as primecandidates for CO2 storage – if there isa future emphasis on carbonsequestration.

“They’ve trapped oil and gas formillions of years, and they’ll probablytrap CO2 for that long, also,” he said.

Denbury Resources operatesprimarily in Mississippi, Alabama,Louisiana and Texas.

“The cheap oil is all gone – it’s apeak oil issue,” Roberts said. “It’simportant to get all the oil out of theground you can, especially in friendlyplaces like the southern United States.

“They are very interested inincreasing production from these olderfields,” he noted. “And they are happyto register these sites as sequestrationsites.”

Roberts said his company negotiatesfor new sources of CO2 supply inaddition to Jackson Dome, andoperates a transmission system for itstertiary recovery projects.

“We move about 500 million cubicfeet of CO2 a day and plan to increasethat to one billion,” he said. “We’reflooding a dozen fields.

“Just with the sources we’renegotiating with now and with the new-builds, we could probably produceman-made resources of up to2 Bcf/day,” he added.

Needed: Geologists to the Debate

While Roberts is enthused about CO2injection for enhanced oil recovery, he’sless optimistic about carbonsequestration to combat emissions.

“The whole idea of capturing CO2 – ifyou look at what’s going on around theworld, the amount that’s likely to besequestered is just a drop in thebucket,” he observed.

Sequestration also will contend withboth technical and legal issues: “Thelegal definition of where the gas goes isa problem, unless you own the land formany miles in every direction,” he said.

Despite the many challenges, CO2injection for enhanced recovery andsequestration probably will attract evenmore attention in the coming monthsand years.

“In a sense we’re not very far downthe track, but now everyone isbecoming concerned,” Drahovzal said.“And they’re so concerned that theywant answers tomorrow.

“All of a sudden, there’s a lot ofmoney being thrown at this thing,” headded.

And it’s clear the future of CO2injection will require a large number ofwell-trained, specialized geologists whounderstand reservoirs.

“The geologists need to get involvedin the debate,” Roberts said.

“Most people involved in CO2injection are not geologists and don’tunderstand what happens when youinject it into the ground,” he observed.

That’s becoming a problem as CO2legislation emerges without input fromthe larger scientific community.

“Ordinary people don’t understandthe physical world, yet they’re makingrules and passing laws based on thatlack of knowledge,” Roberts said.

Drahovzal recalled listening to aspeaker who claimed research into CO2injection and sequestration is today’sequivalent of the nuclear researchManhattan Project.

“That may be overblown,” he said,“but it’s going to take a lot of really high-tech people in both engineering andgeology to make this thing go.” �

AUGUST 2007

18“All of a sudden, there’s a lot of money

being thrown at this thing.”CO2 Injectionfrom page 16

AUGUST 2007

19

Slick New Tools Used to Reduce Risk

Deep Seeps Tip Off Oil HuntersBy LOUISE S. DURHAM

EXPLORER CorrespondentIn offshore areas such as the

deepwater Gulf of Mexico, it’s notuncommon for oil emanating from sourcerocks to bypass natural trappingmechanisms and leak upward to theseafloor.

Given that natural seals sometimesare flawed, entrapped oil also may rise tothe surface via such conduits asfractures and faults.

Identifying these natural seeps canprove invaluable to explorers looking forindications of a hydrocarbon source intheir areas of interest.

It comes as no surprise that oil seepshave become a business in their ownright.

An example of this was presented inat least one paper at the recent AAPGAnnual Convention in Long Beach, Calif.,when Marcio Mello, founder of HighResolution Technology & Petroleum(HRT) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, gave atalk on the effectiveness of highresolution geochemistry technology,satellite oil slick detection and directgeochemistry methods in assessingexploration risk in the deep and ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

“Natural oil seeps and high-resolutiongeochemical methods have historicallyprovided invaluable information to oilexplorers in frontier areas for assessmentof lease and exploration basins,” Mellosaid.

“Foremost, they indicate the presence

of active generative hydrocarbon sourcerocks,” he added, “without which therecan be no hydrocarbon accumulations.”

Global Possibilities

More evidence of oil seeps’ growingprofile comes from U.K.- based Infoterra,which recently completed mapping theoffshore oil slicks in the Arctic area toadd to its global offshore oil seepsdatabase.

The database encompasses over 60million square kilometers of offshorebasins.

This database has been acquired viainterpreting radar satellite data andscreening offshore basins worldwide to awater depth of approximately 3,000meters, according to Andy Wells, directorof sales at Infoterra.

The database comprises more than12,300 ERS (European Remote Sensing)satellite equivalent scenes.

“Oil seep identification is a complexprocess,” Wells noted, “due to the depthof water, variability in leaking petroleumsystems and man-made pollution withinthe offshore frontier basins.”

The Infoterra team characterizes and

ranks the slicks as probable naturalseepage or man-made pollution and alsomaps rigs, platforms and ship traffic for amore complete picture of the controls onoil slick distribution.

Even though current oil prices north of$70 help to keep the drill bits turning,exploration costs have escalated alongwith commodity prices, makingprospectors eager to embrace anythingthat reduces project risks – and oil seepsfit neatly into that category.

A ‘Feel-Good’ Factor

“Oil seeps give companies the feel-good factor when exploiting a frontierarea,” said Martin Insley, an AAPGmember and senior geologist at Infoterra.“If you see an oil seep, the idea is youhave at least a petroleum play fairway.

“But that’s only the tip of the iceberg,”

AUGUST 2007

20

Graphic courtesy of High Resolution Technology

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Insley said. “The real interest comes ifyou put that into a geological contextwith some seismic or other data – the firstthing it tells you is there’s oil beinggenerated in that region.

“If you have seepage, it’s usually froma reservoir rather than a source,” Insleyadded, “and some will say, ‘well, myreservoir’s breached and that’s not goodnews.’

“But you need a lot of oil, a substantialreservoir to create a long-term seep,” henoted, “so it depends if you’re upbeatabout it or see it as a negative.”

Conversely, when you take a globalperspective, there are areas with little orno seepage – which can present a

quandary for the prospectors.“The idea is you’ll either have no

petroleum system in place in thoseareas,” Insley said, “or you’ll have a veryefficient seal to the point where there’s nochance of oil escaping to the surface.

“One of the questions we face iswhether it’s bad news if a companyevaluates an area and finds no oilseeps,” Insley added. “But if you

understand the geology of an area, thenquite often you say there’s a very goodseal in this region, and that’s why wedon’t see any seepage.”

Risk in the GOM

Oil seep evaluation in the pricey, high-risk deepwater environment can providean array of crucial information to

explorationists.“The high cost of offshore deep and

ultra-deepwater exploration has madethe identification of oil slicks and seeps awell-accepted risk assessmentmethodology in offshore basins allaround the world,” said HRT’s Mello, whochaired AAPG’s highly successful 1998international conference in Rio deJaneiro.

“In fact, the combination of highresolution geochemical methods and oilseeps can provide clues abouthydrocarbon origin, type and age, andthermal evolution of the source rocks,”Mello added.

He noted that a recent projectinvolving high resolution geochemicaltechnology (HRGT) and oil slicks in theGulf of Mexico allowed identification andcharacterization of oil mixing, extensionof oil cracking to gas and quantificationof accumulations in the subsurface.

The objective of the HRGT program,which was spearheaded by HRT, was toassess exploration risk in deep and ultra-deep waters of the northern Gulf. Theproject was based on RADARSAT-1satellite data; it kicked off in January2006 and concluded June 2007.

More than 1,000 seepage slicks wereidentified, with 727 of these thought to berepresentative of oil clusters. An oilcluster was interpreted as a group ofRADARSAT-1 seepage slick polygonsthat share the same source point in aspecific geographic space, according toMello.

“These results indicate a 100 percentprobability that an interpreted seepagecluster slick occurs as a result of theconvergence of the optimum tectonic,temporal and environmental scenarios,”he said.

“And they confirm the presence of aprolific and active petroleum system inthe subsurface of most of theinvestigated area.”

‘Promising Technology’

The slicks detected during the GOMproject are geographically andgeologically associated with the regionalsalt complex trend in the area. They weresubdivided into four main explorationareas:

� Alaminos Canyon.� Keathley Canyon.� Garden Banks.� Green Canyon.Using technology from HRT associate

Biomarker Technology, the projectparticipants were able to analyze someoils using piston cores associated withthe oil slicks identified in the sea surface.

The proprietary technology usedincluded diamondoids (geochemicalmethod to characterize percentagecracking from oil to gas and also toquantify amounts of gas in subsurfacetraps) and compound specific carbon-isotopic analysis of diamondoids,according to Mello.

The technology can identify oil typeand link it to the original source rock.

When queried about the future ofnatural oil seeps and HRGT to evaluatehydrocarbons, Mello replied, “This is themost promising technology to helpreduce exploration risk in deep and ultra-deep frontier areas all around the world.”

He noted HRT is currently applyingthis technique in a number of deep andultra-deep areas besides the GOM,including locales in Brazil, Colombia,Peru and South Africa.

“It is very important to emphasize thatthe identification of the natural oil slicksin deep and ultra-deep water in anysedimentary basin is proof of thepresence of an active source rocksystem,” Mello said.

“Without such a system, no oilaccumulation can occur.” �

AUGUST 2007

22GOM Successfrom page 20

“The combination of highresolution geochemical methodsand oil seeps can provide cluesabout hydrocarbon origin, typeand age, and thermal evolutionof the source rocks.”

Mello

AUGUST 2007

23

(Editor’s note: AAPG publicationsmanager Beverly Molyneux said thatAAPG Studies in Geology 56, The Atlas ofDeep-Water Outcrops, is expected to beavailable in a matter of weeks. Watch theAAPG Web site for details.)

By BARRY FRIEDMANEXPLORER Correspondent

Coming soon, perhaps to a bookcasenear you, is a publication that exposessome exposures that matter a lot togeologists.

And for that reason, it matters a lot tothe scientific interests of explorationistseverywhere.

AAPG’s Atlas of Deep-Water Outcrops,a detailed, statistical compendium of manyof the world’s deep-water outcrops andclassic depositional systems, is intendedto provide a “vast collection of

architectural data that may be used forconceptual models and detailed reservoirmodeling,” according to book co-editorJoe Studlick.

That’s for the science.“It is needed now,” he continued,

“because of the current developmentchallenges and expected reservesassociated with such deep-waterreservoirs.”

That’s for the explorationists.Or as Studlick put it, “That’s what this is

all about.”Roger Shew, another of the

compendium’s four editors, cautions thatwhile the atlas is neither a guide for thegeneral public nor a direct answer toenergy policy, it is a significantachievement.

“We wouldn’t have undertaken this

Outcrops Book Gives Deep LookGetting the Big Picture Via ‘Tools of the Trade’

AUGUST 2007

24

See Outcrops Atlas, page 26

Examples of deep-water outcrops, as examined in the upcoming AAPG Studies in Geology 56, from France (left) and Ireland.

Photo by Claudio Bartolini.

They’re just looking for clues: Repsol geoscientists studied – and enjoyed – excellent exposures of the Upper Pennsylvanian Ross Sandstone, west-southwest Ireland.

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26

work if we didn’t believe there was a needfor the book,” Shew said. “We believe wehave provided an atlas that is bothimportant for the E&P industry as analogdata, but also that is important to thegeologic community in understandingdeep-water depositional systems.”

Specifically, for the energy industryexploring for and developing deep-waterprospects globally, it provides “acomprehensive look” at an importantsource of analog information.

“That,” Shew said, “should help thegeoscientists and engineers moreefficiently and economically explore forand develop these costly and oftentechnically difficult reservoirs.

“Understanding the range of reservoirarchitectural types, baffles and barriers,and properties provide a criticalcomponent for deep-water exploration anddevelopment.”

Choices

The Atlas (Studies in Geology 56),expected to be available this fall, wascompiled and edited over a three-yearperiod by the late Tor Nilsen, consultant,former U.S. Geological Survey geologistand a legendary instructor for AAPG;Studlick, senior general manager, MaerskOil America Inc., Houston; Shew, lecturer,Departments of Geology andEnvironmental Sciences, University ofNorth Carolina at Wilmington; and GarySteffens, geological adviser, ShellInternational E&P, Houston.

Steffens says the compilation, co-published by AAPG and Shell InternationalExploration and Production, is the “firsttime that almost all classic turbidite

outcrops, as well as many new ones, havebeen compiled using a standard format(11- x 17-inch) for easy comparison andanalysis.

“It was an enormous job both in termsof shear volume of data as well as gettinghundreds of authors to agree to a singleformat,” he added.

True, there have been other articles andeven a few atlases on deep-waterdeposits, but Steffens said that until nowthere never was a compendium thataddressed both qualitative andquantitative aspects on such a diversenumber of outcrops around the world –including those on all seven continentsand 21 countries.

In all, it has 103 separate outcrops,spanning most of the geologic time scale(from the Neoproterozoic to the Miocene),including those in:

� The Gulf of Mexico.� The North Sea.� The Canadian Rockies.� Offshore Brazil.� Offshore West Africa.� France.� Ireland.� South Africa.� Spain.� West Texas.� Southern California.� Borneo.� Patagonia.� The Tibetan Plateau.“The Atlas had several goals,” Studlick

said, “including the primary goal ofstandardizing statistical data on theoutcrops – items such as net to gross, bedlengths, thicknesses, texture and aspectratios. This statistical data facilitates betterreservoir descriptions, which improvegeological and reservoir models in allphases of exploration, appraisal andproduction.”

Outcrops Atlasfrom page 24

continued on next page

Upper Pennsylvanianturbidites of the Ross

Formation, western Ireland;these strata record submarine

fan deposition on the basinfloor of the restricted Shannon

Basin. Pennsylvanian rockswere affected by compressivedeformation at the end of thePermian, during the assembly

of Pangea.The excellentoutcrops are great analogs for

understanding subsurfacedeep-water environments inhydrocarbons exploration.

Photo by Claudio Bartolini

AUGUST 2007

27

Steffens underscored that the atlas isnot only focused on the sand geometriesin the outcrops but also the shalearchitecture, which is important forunderstanding baffles and barriers indeepwater reservoirs.

Another realized goal, Shew said, wasthe standard presentation format ofoutcrops via photomosaics, lithologicsections, detailed facies and architecturalelement descriptions.

By doing this, he said, readers will beable to compare various outcrops andsubsurface reservoir examples.

“We eliminated those outcrops that areinaccessible, difficult to travel to, littlestudied, poorly exposed and/or lacking alarge 2-D or some 3-D perspective,” hesaid. “We characterized 75 outcrops bybasin setting, age and depositional settingas key selection parameters.”

(Having)The Write Stuff

There was nothing magical about thenumber of outcrops featured; in fact, theeditors say they started with a wish list ofabout 25 key outcrops, having personallyvisited many of them.

As more scientists and researchersbecame involved in the project, wordspread of the work and the number ofcontributions quickly grew.

Studlick jokes, “It was the power ofe-mails.”

The unintended but beneficialconsequence was that new outcrops thathad heretofore been briefly described orunpublished were now chronicled.

“It was both gratifying and a treat to seeand read the many outcrop descriptionsthat were offered,” Shew said.

Still, there were obstacles along theway – mainly the “shear volume ofinformation.” The atlas is one of the largeston a single geologic topic that has been

published.The breadth of the work was something

that AAPG Distinguished Educatorawardee Stephan A. Graham, professorand petroleum geologist at Stanford, hadlong been advocating.

In the preface to the compendium, hewrote, “Outcrops have long been the toolsof the trade for geologists trying to betterunderstand the architecture, facies andevolution of deep-water depositionalsystems.

“Most importantly,” he continued,“outcrops serve as accessible examples ofdeep-water systems that can be studied ata range of scales as analogs for the buriedbut economically important deep-watersystems that are the targets of modernhydrocarbon exploration.”

Graham, though, echoes the caveat ofmany scientists: “Given that many deep-water outcrop analogs are derived fromforeland basins and other active margin

settings, it is frequently questionedwhether these analogs can be used inpassive-margin subsurface settings wherethe petroleum industry has focused itsactivities throughout the past fewdecades,” he said.

“The value of outcrop data is notquestioned, but proper analog usage willonly be validated when new generationprocess modeling and seismic/well studiesof near-seafloor-fan systems are integratedand calibrated to outcrop rock data.”

It’s AllThere

These new processes, Shew said,already are taking place, but he cautionedthat the work of the true geologist hasn’treally changed since James Hutton, thefather of modern geology, sat on a rockand suggested that the processesoccurring in the present were the sameprocesses that had operated in the past.

“We still rely on the ability of thegeologist to describe and observe therelationships seen in outcrops, interprettheir significance and apply them to otherdata such as cores, logs and seismic inthe subsurface to provide answers ondepositional environments and on theheterogeneities that may control reservoirfluid flow,” he said.

“The difference now is that we havenumerous programs (visualization softwareand ‘caves,’ reservoir modeling, etc.) thatallow us to create complex models andscenarios that will include more geologicvariability for more complete reservoirmodels,” he said. “Hence the need formore statistically based reservoir data –outcrops and subsurface data. Analogsare still critical.”

Highlighted in the book are some of thenew ways that are being used to acquireor analyze data, such as with GPS, LIDAR,range-finding and then, of course,modeling of the outcrop data.

“However, much of the data requiresgood old-fashioned leg work anddescriptions on the outcrop face,” Shewadded.

The data, in short, is in better shapethan ever – in part because of moreefficient means of transporting informationbetween scientists and editors and vice-versa. By converting old 11- x 17-inchformat photos to .pdf files, for example,Shew estimates two years of work weresaved.

In addition to the hardcopy Atlas, a CDis included in the back of the book with 37AAPG BULLETIN-style articles on theoverview topics and more detailed reviewsof selected outcrops.

And other than providing acomprehensive guide to “where” theworld’s most significant outcrops arelocated, the authors agree that perhapsthe most important accomplishment is, asSteffens says, “having all the data in oneplace.” �

continued from previous page

Photo by Claudio Bartolini

Beautifully bedded sandstones of the Ross Formation (Upper Pennsylvanian), inwestern Ireland.

AUGUST 2007

28

AUGUST 2007

29

AUGUST 2007

Series Headed to Schools

‘Earth’Taps Geologists’ InsightsBy DENNIS KING

EXPLORER CorrespondentAs an action-adventure filmmaker,

director Pierre de Lespinois has scaled theheights of the Andes, the Alps and theHimalayas, dived a mile below the ocean’ssurface and kayaked alone down a 300-mile stretch of the Amazon River.

So he knows first-hand somethingabout the beautiful and dauntingenvironments that make up the many andvaried faces of Earth.

His venturesome spirit, his technicalexpertise and his vast experience on TVproductions, feature films anddocumentaries are more than enough tomake de Lespinois the ideal candidate todirect the rigorous, ambitious documentaryseries “Faces of Earth,” which beganairing in late July and continues in earlyAugust on The Science Channel.

The four-part, high-definitiondocumentary series – produced by theAmerican Geological Institute with supportfrom the AAPG Foundation and othersponsors – utilizes cutting-edge computergraphics technology, animation, aerialphotography and advanced filmproduction techniques to paint vividportraits of the powerful natural forces thatconstantly forge and re-forge the multiplefaces of Earth.

The series urges viewers to “look up,look around, look deep below,” and then itcarefully explains what’s revealed throughthe insights of those who can read thenatural world best – geoscientists.

It follows those scientists, includingsome AAPG members, as they employquesting minds, adventurous spirits and

high technology to see the Earth as we’venever seen it before, and to understandhow humans are both a force of natureand a product of an ever-changing planet.

Through the magic of film, thegroundbreaking series takes viewers intothe core of the Earth, beneath vast oceansand straight into the eye of the mostcatastrophic storms on the planet.

In the process, it shows how the Earthwas made, how it works, what’sthreatening the planet and what it will looklike in the future.

The Adventure Continues

“I was always drawn to filmmaking as akind of adventure,” de Lespinois said, “butI also love it as a quest for knowledge. Tome, being a filmmaker is like being incollege your whole life.”

And one of the best experiences ofworking on “Faces of Earth,” the directorsaid, was tapping the wisdom, insightsand discoveries of scores of the world’sfinest geoscientists to bring reasonablecontext to all the dazzling imagery hiscrews created on screen.

“We interviewed and worked with thetop geologists and geoscientists fromaround the world – so many that wecouldn’t possibly include them all in fourhours of film – and believe me, our crewreally went to school to ensure that everyaspect of what we put on screen wasscientifically accurate. We were checkedand re-checked every step of the way.

That will prove to be an excellent move

30

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� “Assembling America” is “a traverseacross North America, exploring how theland we see today is the result ofhundreds of millions of years of Earth’sprocesses interacting.” It aired on July 23.

� “Shaping the Planet” is a global lookat how the Earth works – from thegreatest depths of the inner Earth to thesurface we live on – where “the dynamicprocesses are revealed where theyimpact humans directly, from Ethiopia toItaly to Tibet.” It aired on July 26.

� “Building the Planet” explores the

planet’s birth and evolution. “Followgeoscientists as they learn how each partof Earth interacts together through time,protecting us from solar winds to theenergy and mineral resources that driveour society.” (Aug. 2.)

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See Faces, page 32

An example of thegraphics used to illustratethe dynamic processes in“Faces of Earth.”

Graphic, photo courtesy of American Geological Institute

18072007700

AUGUST 2007

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AUGUST 2007

in years to come, because going to schoolis exactly the fate that awaits this series.“Faces of Earth,” in addition to providingsome riveting TV and filmmaking, willeventually be used in schools foreducational purposes.

It’s one more reason why de Lespinoiswanted to get it just right.

“Marrying that kind of rock-solid scienceto the futuristic quality of special effectsand CGI on film was a challenge at times,”he said, “but an exhilarating experience.”

A Perfect Match

As founder of Evergreen Films, the full-service production company tapped byDiscovery Communications to completethe series, de Lespinois seems uniquelysuited to the task. Winner of three EmmyAwards, along with 13 nominations anddozens of international prizes for programshe’s created, de Lespinois boasts aresume that includes science-orientedworks, both dramatic and documentary,

such as “The Secret Adventures of JulesVerne,” “Inside the Space Station,” “WhenDinosaurs Roamed America,” “WeatherExtreme: Tornado,” “Alien Planet” and “TheScience of Star Wars.”

Noted for his ability to capture andcommunicate the essence of excitement,de Lespinois directed action photographyfor Winter Olympic Games in Canada,France and Norway and in the process co-developed a live-action camera mount andtracking system (dubbed “Cablecam”) thatallows a camera to “fly” through the air formore than 2,000 feet.

He also pioneered a style of point-of-view filmmaking in athletic competition thathas brought him numerous technicalawards.

Much of this expertise was brought tobear, he said, in the making of “Faces ofEarth.”

“The funny thing is,” de Lespinois said,“a lot of the imaging technology we use inhigh-definition filmmaking is very similar totechnology that geoscientists use in theirfield work. Even things like the use ofminiatures and models, which we use forspecial effects, are things that scientists

32

C H A N G I N G T H E W O R L D O F G E O S C I E N C E S

MULTIPLE HIRES IN CLIMATE SYSTEMS SCIENCE

The Jackson School is building a premier education and research program in Climate System Science. We seek scientists at the forefront of their disciplines attracted to challenging areas of scholarship that require collaboration across disciplines and programs. We seek the expertise required to address fundamental questions associated with a changing Earth system, including:

• What processes control the rates of change and variability of the climate system, including the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, land surface, and biosphere?

• Can we improve our ability to anticipate these changes and determine the potential impacts on society?

Over the next three years, we will hire six or more faculty and scientists who complement our growingstrengths. We will hire individuals who will enable us to build a comprehensive climate program andwho will make fundamental advances in our understanding of the climate system. These areas include, but are not limited to:

• Improved modeling of the Earth system, specifically including ice sheets, the global carbon cycle, and interaction between the components of the Earth system

• Enhanced observation of the Earth system, including remote sensing of Earth-surface processes and components

• Greater capability to utilize geologic archives to understand climate change, including paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, and paleobiology

• Improved ability to link climate and hydrology, particularly at the basin-to-continent scale • Increased strengths in atmospheric dynamics and physical oceanography• Increased ability to understand variability and quantify uncertainties, including

statistical climatology• Greater capability to address societal impacts and vulnerability, including adaptation

and mitigation

We encourage applications from innovative scientists in other areas that are related to climate system science. Opportunities exist at any level, can include cluster hires, and can be within or in combination with any Jackson School Unit—the Department of Geological Sciences, the Bureau of Economic Geology, or the Institute for Geophysics. The schedule of appointment is also negotiable.

NEW HIRES IN GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION

The Jackson School of Geosciences seeks individuals attracted to the challenge of geoscience educationat the university level. As leaders in geoscience pedagogy, candidates should excel as teachers and developers of courses set in field, laboratory, and lecture environments. The new hires may also contribute to the Jackson School's commitment to educate the wider community of the public and K-12 pre-college students.

We encourage applications from those with proven records of teaching and related experience at the college level. Candidates are expected to hold a PhD degree in the geosciences or a closely related field.Additional credentials may include experience in securing external funding, and a record of publicationsrelated to geoscience education.

Opportunities exist for appointments as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Adjunct Faculty, or tenure-track Faculty,depending upon credentials and interests. Appointments will be primarily within the Department ofGeological Sciences, but may include affiliations with the Jackson School’s main research units, theBureau of Economic Geology or the Institute for Geophysics. The schedule of appointment is negotiable.

Ph.D. is minimum requirement for application. Send inquiries and applications (cover letter, CV, list ofpublications, list of references, statements of teaching and/or research interests) to: Randal Okumura,Office of the Dean / Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin / PO Box B, University Station / Austin, TX 78713 or jobs@jsg.utexas.edu.

For more information on the school and its hiring program visit us online at www.jsg.utexas.edu/hiring.

T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E X A S AT A U S T I N I S A N A F F I R M AT I V E A C T I O N / E Q U A L O P P O R T U N I T Y E M P L O Y E R

By DENNIS KINGEXPLORER Correspondent

When he was a young Air Forcepilot, Arthur R. Green said he wasrequired in training tomemorize all the constellationsin the heavens.

It was something of anordeal at the time, but later, asan exploration geologisttraveling the globe, Green saidhe was always thankful for thatbasic understanding of theuniverse around him and foundgreat comfort in his hard-earned knowledge.

“Wherever I was in theworld, whether I was in adesert in the Middle East, in the Arcticor anywhere else far from home, I couldalways look up and see my friends, thestars,” said Green, a long-time AAPGmember now retired as chiefgeoscientist for ExxonMobilExploration.

“Having that knowledge has alwaysseemed a precious thing to me. Toknow how the universe around youworks, to understand your place on theplanet seems to me to be a very basicpart of being alive and living on theEarth.”

It was that deep, abidingunderstanding of the value of scienceeducation that inspired Green tobecome involved early on inenvisioning a comprehensive filmproject on geosciences that wouldeventually evolve into “Faces of Earth,”the four-part documentary series thatpremiered on The Science Channel.

“Art was very active in the formativeprocess of the series, helping definethe scope and general scienceapproaches,” said Christopher Keane,AGI’s director of communications andtechnology and an executive produceron the series.

Green said he worked closely fromthe start with AGI and its formerexecutive director, the late Marcus E.Milling, in defining the aims of thedocumentary series. And later he wasencouraged by Milling to make astrong case to his bosses atExxonMobil to become a major

financial underwriter of the project.“It was Marcus, with his strong

commitment to earth scienceseducation, who really had the vision

and kept things movingforward,” Green said.

Our Need to Know

The author of manygeologic studies andpublished papers, and anoted lecturer on petroleumexploration and global energy,Green said he is “consistentlydumbfounded” by the lack ofbasic science literacy he findsamong the general public as

he travels around the country.“It’s amazing to me that something

so important to life and the health andwell-being of our country and ourplanet seems to be ignored by so manypeople,” he said. “It’s amazing howlittle people know about our use ofenergy, where that energy comes from,(and) how we’re going to deal withincreasing demands in the future.

“That’s why I believe it’s so importantthat we provide useful, interesting anddynamic tools to help peopleunderstand how the Earth works,” hecontinued. “That’s what ‘Faces of Earth’is all about.”

As a long-time AAPG member,Green said he is especially pleasedthat the AAPG Foundation agreed tosponsor the series and contributefunds specifically to support itseducational mission after the cable TVbroadcast.

“We need to encourage people toask hard questions, look carefully at theworld around them and engage indiscussions about the future of theEarth,” he said. “If we can get morepeople thinking about the state of theEarth and how to better care for theplanet, then we’ll all be better for it.

“And if we can inform people andeducate them on how the Earth works,let them understand that it’s a living,constantly shifting and evolving thing,then we’ll all be able to feel more athome in the universe and understandour place in it.” �

‘Faces’Will LeaveLasting Impression

Facesfrom page 30

See TV Series, page 34

Green

The best way toget experience is

to actually have one.

For more info or to enroll call +1 918 560-2650 or visit http://www.aapg.org/aug/

More science than you can shake a pick at.

AAPG’s 2nd Annual Fall Education ConferenceHouston, September 10-14, 2007

Exploration in Stratigraphic Traps

Courses will include: • Sequence Stratigraphy for Petroleum Exploration • Deep-Water Sands—Integrated Stratigraphic Analysis • Carbonate Depositional Systems, Diagenesis and Porosity Development • Quick Guide to Carbonate Well Log Analysis • Seismic Imaging of Carbonate Reservoirs • Seismic Interpretation in the Exploration Domain • Understanding Seismic Anisotropy in Exploration and Exploitation

• AVO/Seismic Lithology • Evaluating Seals & Pay • Risk Analysis in Stratigraphic Traps • Geochemical Exploration for Strat Traps

HOSTED BY THE NORRIS CONFERENCE CENTER 9999 RICHMOND AVE., SUITE 102

HOUSTON, TX 77042 713-780-9300; FAX: 713-780-9490

SPECIAL AAPG GROUP RATES AT NEARBY HOTELS!

Tuition for the week is only $1295 for AAPG Members or $1395 for Non-members*

or $325/day for individual courses

*(price increases to $1395/1495 respectively after August 13, 2007)

AUGUST 2007

33

AUGUST 2007

often employ in their studies.“In fact,” he continued, “some of the

special-effects software specificallydeveloped for use in the film industry isnow being widely used for scientificapplications. I think that’s pretty exciting.”

A ‘Theatrical’ Event

Evergreen Films’ laboratory ofanimation and special-effects wizards ishoused at Meteor Studios in Montreal, ajoint venture of Discovery Networks andEvergreen, and the talent there wasemployed extensively to create some ofthe breathtaking tableaux, visual vistasand powerful natural phenomena seen in“Faces of Earth.”

“We have about 150 artists and themost innovative technical tools of thetrade, and since the studio was founded in2000 we’ve done over 90 productions forclients in the U.S., Canada, England andFrance,” de Lespinois said.

Recent Hollywood productionsinvolving Meteor artists and techniciansinclude the films “Scooby Doo 2,”“Catwoman,” “The Exorcist” and “FantasticFour.”

“What we’re doing there is light-yearsahead of what was done on screen in the1970s and ’80s,” he said. “Today, with theincreased load of visual effects being usedin documentaries like ‘Faces of Earth,’ youhave to design your show just like you do atheatrical film. We’re not just going out andshooting what happens. We’re designingeverything to tell a story from thebeginning.”

The story of Earth through the eons isindeed a vast subject, the directoradmitted.

“To me, the most interesting thing I

learned from this project was how theEarth is fluid and is constantly shifting andchanging,” de Lespinois said. “Tounderstand that age-old process isimportant for every person living on theplanet. It helps us put the problems weface today into perspective. We need tounderstand how the Earth works and howwe influence it and how it influences us.Those things should be basic to everyhuman being’s education.”

Educational Outreach

On that education front, de Lespinoispoints out that the four hours that will beaired on The Science Channel representonly the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

“We shot more than 160 hours offootage,” he said, “so clearly there is atreasure trove of additional material andvital information that can be used foreducational add-ons and valuable

auxiliary purposes.”AGI has a detailed plan in place to use

the series’ footage and animations toprovide educational ancillary materials forthe classroom. The blueprint calls for DVDand Web-based materials, as well asprinted instructional materials, that will beuseful for students “from grade school tograduate-level studies,” said Colin Mably,AGI’s senior adviser for communicationstechnology.

“Of the 160 hours of footage shot,about 20 hours are useful for ourpurposes,” Mably said. “That’s a very richarchive of materials that we plan to use ina number of ways.”

The educational add-ons will be rolledout over the next months, he said, with thefirst being a boxed-set DVD of the four“Faces of Earth” episodes, complete withsoundtracks, original narration, Spanishnarration and narration linked toinstructional materials.

Additional DVD offerings tied directly toclassroom curricula – featuring topics suchas “High School Environmental Science,”“Earth Science in the Community” and“Investigating Earth Systems” – will bemade available to educators.

Also, Web-based downloads areplanned to appeal to teachers wanting tocustomize lesson plans, to home-schoolers, to students preparingpresentations and to outreach educators inmuseums, parks and community centers.

Interview footage from 38 geoscientistswill be formatted on the Web in a glossaryof questions and answers on specificgeoscientific topics. The Web site also willfeature downloadable CGI and animationsegments from the “Faces of Earth”archive.

Finally, a career awareness componentis planned for the Web site targeted tomiddle-school students and featuring suchtopics as “Jobs that geoscientists do” and“How to become a geoscientist.” Anotherwill be aimed at high school students tohelp inform them, their parents and schoolcounselors on career opportunities in thegeosciences.

The AAPG Foundation, one of sevensponsors of the series, contributed$100,000 to the project, specifically toward“taking the next step” in providing a publicoutreach mechanism for the series.

AAPG Foundation Trustee ChairmanJack C. Threet said the Foundationbequest “represents about a third of thecost of developing, producing anddistributing the ancillary materials, andwas a major factor in bringing in the othertwo-thirds of the necessary funding.”

Other sponsors of “Faces of Earth”along with the AAPG Foundation are theAGI Foundation; DiscoveryCommunications; ExxonMobil; theJackson School of Geosciences at theUniversity of Texas at Austin; Rive GaucheInternational Television; and the U.S.Geological Survey. �

34TV Seriesfrom page 32

On the “set:” AAPG member Charlie Kerans was one of the geoscientists featured in“Faces of Earth,” the four-part Science Channel series that eventually will be used foreducational and outreach purposes.

AUGUST 2007

35

AUGUST 2007

36

By BARRY FRIEDMANEXPLORER Correspondent

“I try to share with students thatpetroleum geology is real geology.”

That from Rebecca Dodge, anassociate professor in the department ofgeosciences at the University of WestGeorgia, on what some universitygeology students think of the professionthat many will eventually join.

To that end, Dodge has been sharingsome of her experience and expertise aspart of AAPG’s Visiting GeoscientistProgram, a program that bringsprofessional geoscientists together withstudents from throughout the United

States, Canada and 30 other countries.In a sense, the goal of the program,

which began in 1974, is to help preparethe industry and the students for eachother by providing and opening bettermeans of communication between eachother.

Eduardo Berendson, an internationalreservoir geologist who specializes inreservoir geomodeling, stratigraphic

problems and project management forthe Hague-based Agip KCO CENI jointventure and still finds time to be amember of the program, says this aspectis perhaps the most important.

“The VGP is important,” he said,“because the AAPG is facing with thewidest age- and knowledge-gap that everexisted in the history of the association.”

He goes on to say the industry as a

whole and AAPG members in particular“have the spirit, the knowledge andultimately the responsibility to pass ontheir wisdom to the future of theassociation.”

Valary Schulz, senior geologist atWynn Crosby in Plano, Texas, and afrequent contributor to the program,agrees:

“In the big schools, with largepetroleum geology departments, thereare numerous opportunities for studentsto interact with successful graduates,”she said, “but we need a whole lot moregeologists than will be graduated bythose five or 10 universities.

“And there are many bright, curious,scientifically minded students who havenever considered a ‘career’ in geology,but they like it,” she continued, “and needonly a small amount of encouragement tospark that fire we all in this professionshare.”

Dodge, who holds seminars onenvironmental and resource managementapplications and is also the director ofGLOBE Partnership, sees anotherdynamic.

She notes that the program isespecially valuable during thisparticularly volatile time in the petroleumindustry “... because colleges anduniversities are finally starting to thinkabout the possibility of reinvigorating,restarting or developing petroleumcurricula and programs.”

The Program

More than 200 colleges anduniversities have participated in the VGP,and VGP committee chair ChuckCaughey has a group of more than 90speakers for the coming school term.

Those speakers, offer talks on avariety of subjects over the globe.

Some of the specific expertiseincludes sessions on coal, environmental,hydrogeology, petroleum exploration andproducton, geochemistry, seismicstratigraphy, planning and administration,resource economics, and trends inemployment, recruiting and careers, toname a few.

VGP speakers typically spend a half toa full day with the students, often tailoringtheir remarks and visits to those schoolswhere they can do the most good –something Dodge, Berendson andSchulz, for example, have been doing formany years.

They, and others in the program, alsovisit with faculty members to discussspecific needs and problems within thedepartment. They then meet withstudents to not only review careeropportunities in the profession, but also todiscuss specific technical topics, such asreservoir engineering, slope tectonics,3-D reservoir modeling, putting togetheroil and gas prospects, environmentalforensics, etc.

The strategy is that by exposingstudents to these “heavy hitters” in thefield, both sides will benefit: Students willget a real-life look at what’s out there andindustry gets a look at its future talentpool.

“I always tell the students that in thereal world to be technically correct is notenough anymore, but equally important isto be aligned and in context with otherdisciplines,” Berendson said.

“For a geologist to complete ageocellular model, for example, not

Communication Lines Opened

VGPs:The Sharing Business

continued on next page

For more information on AAPG’s Visiting Geoscientist program – whether toarrange for a visit or to volunteer your expertise to the program – contact MikeMlynek at students@aapg.org, or go online to http://www.aapg.org/education/vgp/about.cfm.

AUGUST 2007

37

addressing the petrophysicist concernsand the reservoir engineer uncertaintiesis unacceptable.”

Schulz says the problem with manyyoung geology students is even morefundamental.

“Most notably absent from moststudents’ courses of instruction is anysense of business,” she said. “Althoughsome may have had exposure throughtheir parents or prior summer jobs, thenatural resource industry is highly insular,and the typical ‘man on the street’ has nocomprehension of this market drivenprofession.

“Additionally, many academicianshave stepped from student to professor,”she added, “and have had no industryexperience or contact – and are thereforeunqualified to prepare their students forthe commercial aspects of their chosenfield.”

A Personal Touch

Dodge, too, believes this generation ofstudents has been raised on the need forcollaboration and the ability to master theincreasingly complicated high techaspect of the profession, but they are notas familiar with the specifics of how thosein the field actually search for anddevelop oil today.

She has noticed, though, that while thesense of fieldwork still “sells well” withstudents, it is the high-tech aspect of theindustry that is the more powerfulattractant now.

“During a visit, I typically have aboutone hour with students to talk aboutcareers,” Dodge said. “Often I’mspeaking at an institution that does nothave a petroleum focus or curriculum. Itry to emphasize that exploration usuallyinvolves teamwork – with people fromother disciplines – and that the industryuses the very highest levels of technologyat all phases of exploration andproduction.”

For his part, Berendson says he alsotries to let students know the relationshipworks both ways.

“When given a chance, I relate tostudents the opportunities andchallenges this industry has given meand others,” he said, “such asinternational traveling, exposure to foreigncultures and many lessons on theimportance of multicultural sensitivity.”

As to the exposure to global cultures,Schulz believes that what’s needed ismore than just a cursory understanding.

“More important today than at anyother time in history is the need to ownanother language,” she said. “In today’sglobal and mobile environment theindividual who can speak, write andunderstand French, Russian, Chinese orSpanish will have a distinct advantage inthe work force.”

The Right Stuff

In any profession, incoming studentsneed to learn not only the basics, but thenew technology skills – the ability to usesoftware tools and computers. In thegeosciences that also means, forexample, becoming familiar withenvironmental aspects of petroleumexploration.

Dodge says part of her job is to bringthat into each visit.

“That tends to melt a bit of cynicismabout the industry,” she said,“underscoring the notion that many have– even geology students and facultymembers – that the industry is non-friendly to the environment.”

Berendson believes that studentsentering the field need a professionaldimension both outside of the classroomand beyond the laboratories.

“I tell students that professionalgeologists today navigate in a high-techcareer, whether you are evaluating logson a rig, generating prospects in an officeor even performing fieldwork in remoteareas (using GPS systems).

“I emphasized that informationtechnology is a prerequisite in ourprofessional work,” he continued. “I letthem know that acquiring more skills and

broadening theirknowledge areultimately theirresponsibility, notthe school they areattending or thecompany that theymight work for.”

Dodge, who isalso the interimdirector of theAmericaViewConsortium, says

that a visiting campus call by an industryprofessional can help move things in theright direction and enhance efforts –along with student chapters and grants-in-aid – to get petroleum geology not onlyback in the curriculum of schools butback in the consciousness of thestudents.

For Berendson, who chaired AAPG’sstudent chapter in Indonesia in 2004-05,

these visits provide an opportunity for himto both look forward and back.

“I always take the time to share somepersonal learning, like planning forsuccess,” he said. “You cannot decidewhat to deal with today unless you knowwhere you want to be tomorrow.”

“Most importantly,” Schulz said, “is tofollow your interests, be absorbed andpassionate about your specialty and thecareer will follow. Learn how to learn, andthen be nimble.”

She then tells a story that perhapsbest exemplifies the program’s goal ofkeeping alive the geologic link and healthof the profession.

“I really enjoyed the chance to interactwith the students,” she said, “and thehighlight was speaking to my alma mater(University of Saskatchewan, Saskatooncampus), and having my dad attend thetalk, as he was one of the early graduatesfrom there in 1934.” �

continued from previous page

Dodge Berendson Schulz

AUGUST 2007

38

Position PapersUpdated

Climate StatementPrompted Changes

The 14 AAPG Position Statements have been reviewed and updated bythe DPA Government Affairs Committee and approved by the AAPGExecutive Committee, including the much-discussed Climate Changestatement.

Upon DPA’s recommendation, the Positions’ format was changed fromsometimes-lengthy discussions to a more brief presentation that states“Issue, Background and Statement.”

Position Paper issues approved include:

� Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Resources� Hydraulic Fracturing� Preservation of Geological and Geophysical Data� National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Access� Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Access� United States National Energy Supply� Climate Change� Tax Reform� Natural Gas Supply Concerns� Reformation of the Endangered Species Act� Reformation of the Clean Water Act — Wetlands Access� Offshore OCS Access� Research and Development Needs� Oil and Gas Workforce Needs in the 21st Century

The Climate Change Statement (see accompanying box) has been by farthe most controversial. The discussions about the Climate Statement drewattention to the Position Papers as a whole as well as the process of theirinitiation, crafting and approval.

Consequently, the 2006-07 Executive Committee crafted a writtenPosition Paper process, which names the Division of Professional Affairs as

continued on next page

The IssueIn the last century growth in human

populations has increased energy use.This has contributed additional carbondioxide (CO2) and other gases to theatmosphere.

Although the AAPG membership isdivided on the degree of influence thatanthropogenic CO2 has on recent andpotential global temperature increases, theAAPG believes that expansion of scientificclimate research into the basic controls onclimate is important.

This research should be undertaken byappropriate federal agencies involved inclimate research and their associatedgrant and contract programs.

BackgroundGeologists study the history of the Earth

and realize climate has changed often inthe past due to natural causes. The Earth’sclimate naturally varies constantly, in bothdirections, at varying rates and on manyscales. In recent decades globaltemperatures have risen. Yet, our planethas been far warmer and cooler thantoday many times in the geologic past,including the past 10,000 years.

Certain climate simulation modelspredict that the warming trend willcontinue, as reported through NAS, AGU,AAAS and AMS. AAPG respects thesescientific opinions but wants to add thatthe current climate warming projectionscould fall within well-documented naturalvariations in past climate and observedtemperature data.

These data do not necessarily supportthe maximum case scenarios forecast insome models. To be predictive, any modelof future climate should also accurately

model known climate and greenhouse gasvariations recorded in the geologic historyof the past 200,000 years.

Statement� AAPG supports expanding scientific

climate research into the basic controls onclimate, specifically including thegeological, solar and astronomic aspectsof climate change. Research shouldinclude understanding causes of pastclimate change and the potential effects ofboth increasing and decreasingtemperatures in the future.

� AAPG supports research to narrowprobabilistic ranges on the effect ofanthropogenic CO2 on global climate.

� AAPG supports reducing emissionsfrom fossil fuel use as a worthy goal.(However, emission reduction has aneconomic cost, which must be comparedto the potential environmental gain.)

� AAPG supports the premise thateconomies must retain their vitality to beable to invest in alternative energysources as fossil fuels become moreexpensive.

� AAPG supports the pursuit ofeconomically viable technology tosequester carbon dioxide emissions andemissions of other gases in a continuingeffort to improve our environment andenhance energy recovery.

� AAPG supports measures toconserve energy, which has the affect ofboth reducing emissions and preservingenergy supplies for the future. �

AAPG’s Statement On Climate Change

By DIANE FREEMANEXPLORER Correspondent

A surprising new economic impactstudy of oil and gas production in Coloradoshows that the industry is a valuablecontributor to the state’s economy, and thatE&P efforts have shifted to the westernbasins.

The new oil and gas study, conductedby the Colorado Energy Research Institute(CERI), concluded that the oil and gasindustry contributed $22.9 billion to thestate’s economy in 2005 – or 6.1 percent ofthe total gross state product.

The industry, both directly and indirectly,generated about 70,000 jobs, or 2.2percent of the state’s employment and 3.2percent of the total earnings, according tothe report.

It also documented the industry’s shift tothe western basins, said Dag Nummedal,AAPGmember and institute director.

“It’s not entirely unanticipated,”Nummedal said, “but it’s changed over thelast three to five years once gas pricesreally started growing.

“The Denver Julesberg Basin is still big,but the Piceance and San Juan basins aregrowing, along with the Paradox Basin,” hesaid.

Growth in the San Juan Basin hascontinued and is even stronger since it iscoupled with the increase in coalbedmethane production there.

Of the state’s five major oil and gas

basins, the biggest economic impact camefrom the San Juan and Paradox basins inthe state’s southwestern section. Theycontributed $3.9 billion to the economy,according to the report.

In northwest Colorado, the PiceanceBasin ranked second with a $3.4 billionimpact.

The 111-page report, released in lateJune, showed that natural gas is by far thedominant contributor to the industry’sgrowth in Colorado.

Another surprise finding was thatDenver has become a regional hub forseveral producing gas companies.

“There’s a tremendous economic outputby these companies,” Nummedal said.

“Many produce gas in Utah, Montana orWyoming, but they have their regionalheadquarters in Denver – they do all theirproject management and exploration onthe Rocky Mountain region from here.”

Until the early 1980s, all the majorenergy companies operated offices inColorado. When the industry slowdownoccurred, they began pulling out of Denver,with most corporate headquarters movingto Houston, he said.

Now many have re-established regionaloffices in Denver and that has made asignificant economic impact on the city, hesaid.

The oil and gas industry paid $870.5million in business, personal, state and

local taxes in 2005. It spun off jobs ingovernment, professional services, retail,health and social services.

“It’s certainly one of the largestindustries in the state,” Nummedal said.

The report noted that a total of 30percent of Colorado counties now have atleast 200 wells. Weld County has thelargest number with almost 10,000,followed by both Rio Blanca and La Platacounties, each with 2,000 wells. �

the principle author, and may alsoinclude soliciting comments frommembers at large on proposed positionsdeemed controversial. DPAsubsequently recommended additionalclarification and the newly approvedprocedures are posted on the DPA Website.

The new Climate Change Statementapproval comes after over two years ofdiscussion sparked by the proposal atthe 2004 Annual Convention in Dallas fora “Climate Change Card” to beproduced and distributed to AAPGmembers. A review of the cards’ contentdrew divergent opinions.

Members were invited to comment onthe card online through October 2006.The passion expressed led theExecutive Committee to investigate notonly the Climate Change Statement, butthe overall Position Paper process aswell, leading to the new written, postedpolicy.

Following the comment on the card aselect ad hoc Climate ChangeCommittee was formed to review and/orrecommend a new climate statement.That statement, with review of theDivision of Environmental Geosciencesand the DPA, was offered online in May2007 for review and drew 93 postedresponses.

The responses were taken intoaccount by the EC, and, with furthercollaboration with DEG and DPA,approved the new statement.

Additionally, a new Global ClimateChange Committee has been createdwith a charge to investigate appropriateways for the association to becomeinvolved in climate change “solutions.”Committee members are being named.

The review and revamping of thePosition Papers was performed and ledby Carl J. Smith, chairman of the DPAGovernment Affairs Committee.

The statements can be accessed at:http://dpa.aapg.org/gac/index.cfm. �

continued from previous page

AUGUST 2007

39Colorado Feels Economic Impact of O&G

Western Basins Grab E&P Attention

For more informationon this subject, visitthe AAPG Web site.

AUGUST 2007

40

GEO-DC Summer Schedule BusyBy DON JUCKETT

This month marks the twentieth monthof operation for the AAPG Geoscienceand Energy Office in Washington, D.C.,and we, like the rest of Washington, areenjoying the lull that accompanies theFourth of July recess as the nation’slegislators return to their individual states.

We anticipate that upon their return,debate on energy legislation and defensespending will take center stage – whichmeans August and September promise tobe event-filled months for us, too.

* * *

We emerged from Congressional VisitsDay in early May and immediatelyembarked on the final planning for theAAPG/SPE International MultidisciplinaryReserves Conference (see page 41),organized by AAPG, SPE, the WorldPetroleum Council, the Society ofPetroleum Evaluation Engineers and theUNECE Group of Experts of ResourceTerminology and hosted in late June bythe GEO-DC office.

While we are awaiting the analysis fromthe 130-plus participants’ responses tothe program, the conference was gaugedas a strong success by the organizersand the participants.

The conference objective was to bringtogether a community of senior andinfluential individuals to explore theimpacts and next steps in endorsement ofthe new SPE/AAPG/WPC/SPEE PetroleumResource Management System. Thespectrum of disciplines of the conferenceparticipants included the accounting,

banking, investment, analyst, governmentand consulting as well as the expectedgeological and engineeringrepresentatives.

This conference was a first of its kind tomake an effort to engage a broad crosssection of the international community thatcreates and uses petroleum reserves andresource data.

* * *

The National Petroleum Council, afederal advisory body to the secretary ofenergy, was scheduled to release its“Global Oil and Natural Gas Report” inmid-July.

The report is a culmination of a vastamount of work, performed at the requestof the secretary of energy, in what canonly be described as a far reaching andcomprehensive evaluation of oil andnatural gas demand, supply andalternatives for hydrocarbon fuels in thecontext of global geopolitical uncertaintyprojected into the next 25 years.

A significant number of AAPGmembers contributed to the chaptersassociated with the endowment andsupply portions of the study, whichengaged the international producingcommunity – both the government and

private sectors – as well as the alternativefuels sector and the “peak oil” community.

Electronic copies of the report can beviewed at http://www.npc.org.

* * *

On July 27, AAPG/GEO-DC sponsoreda U.S. Geological Survey CongressionalBriefing on Energy and Climate Change.

This briefing, held in the RayburnHouse Office Building, was part of aregular series organized by the USGS aspart of its charter to provide scienceinformation for congressional staff onareas within the prevue of the USGS.

This was the first opportunity for AAPGto display the new position statementbrochure that has been prepared by theGovernment Affairs Committee andapproved by the Executive Committee.

AAPG/GEO-DC served as both hostand master of ceremonies for this event.

* * *

On Aug. 5-9, members of theGovernment Affairs Committee (GAC) andGEO-DC will staff an AAPG booth at theNational Conference of State Legislators(NCSL).

This will be the first year that the AAPG

will have its own booth for the event,although AAPG has participated forseveral years in cooperation with severalgeological organizations through theGAC.

At the conclusion of last year’s NCSLmeeting in Nashville, Tenn., the GACdetermined that there was merit in havinga separate booth for AAPG in order topromote the importance of the petroleumgeosciences at the state level.

* * *

GEO-DC is cooperating with theEastern Section annual meetingorganizers to coordinate a four-hoursession on “Geology and Public Policy.”The session will feature two congressionalstaffers – one from the House and onefrom the Senate – who will provide Sectionparticipants with a glimpse of what it takesto impact legislation at the Washington,D.C. level.

Work continues on the energy andminerals schools reinvestment act withAAPG members contributing languagethat helps to provide faculty and studentsat the historical energy geosciences andenergy institutions with financial supportand support the rejuvenation of many ofthese institutions. The legislation wouldbolster areas that were not fullyrecognized in the National Academy ofSciences study “Rising Above TheGathering Storm.”

The focus of this legislation will be to

continued on next page

Debate on energy legislation anddefense spending will likely take centerstage.

By LARRY NATIONAAPG Communications Director

Discussions about the changingnature of reserves accounting and theneed for more consistent definitionswere the top themes of the InternationalMultidisciplinary Reserves Conference,held in late June in Washington, D.C.

AAPG was co-sponsor of themeeting, in cooperation with the Societyof Petroleum Engineers, the Society ofPetroleum Evaluation Engineers, theWorld Petroleum Congress and theUnited Nations.

Conference co-chair Peter R. Rosenoted that the invitation-only conferenceattended by 130 persons met its goals,attracting a mix of geologists, engineers,bankers, regulators, accountants andeconomists and engaging in high-leveldiscussions with technical professionalswho define and generate reserveestimates.

Christopher Cox, chairman of the U.S.Securities and Exchange Commission,spoke to the group at a reception,underscoring the “powerful tool ofinteractive data” being instituted at theSEC.

At a luncheon earlier, SEC director ofthe Division of Corporation Finance JohnWhite noted how “the growing trendtoward truly global, high-qualityaccounting methods has heightened theneed to converge interactive datataxonomies and software tools to allowfor cross-border analysis of companies.”

He told the group of a volunteerprogram where companies are invited toparticipate in the SEC’s new interactivereporting system, where data is peggedin a standard protocol for reportingpurposes. Anadarko and Petrobras areparticipants from the energy sector.

“Taxonomies for the oil and gasindustry are in development,” Whitesaid, and, like the taxonomies for allother industries, will include data tagsfor all U.S. GAAP financial statement andfootnote disclosure.

With about a third of the attendeesfrom outside the United States, it alsowas noted that a system has beenproposed to smooth the differences ininternational reporting versus U.S.accounting requirements.

In another luncheon address, GuyCaruso, director of the U.S. EnergyInformation Administration, led the groupthrough the newly released EIA outlookto 2030, which projects world energy togrow 57 percent from 2004 to 2030,despite the relatively high world oil andnatural gas prices.

However, the report surmises that the

higher prices at about 2015 will dampengrowth for oil and liquid fuels use;energy shares of natural gas, coal andrenewable energy sources are expectedto grow over this period.

Liquids consumption is still expectedto grow strongly, however, reaching 118million barrels per day in 2030. TheUnited States, China and India togetheraccount for nearly half of the projectedgrowth in world liquids use. �

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AUGUST 2007

41

endow work force training at all levels,from the training of field personnel to thegraduate level university programs.

Together with industry efforts, thislegislation could provide a significantboost to both trainers and trainees for theoil and gas industry of the future.

(Editor’s note: Don Juckett, head ofAAPG’s Geoscience and Energy Office inWashington, D.C., can be contacted atdjuckett@aapg.org; or by telephone, 703575-8293.)

continued from previous page

SEC Chairman Christopher Cox, center, chats with conference co-chairs Mike Blackof SPE, left, and past AAPG president Peter R. Rose.

SEC Head Attends

D.C. Reserves MeetDraws Diversity

Whatever Your Sample Type, We Have the Answers

www.OilGeochemistry.com www.GasGeochemistry.com www.WaterGeochemistry.com www.RockGeochemistry.com

AUGUST 2007

Pedro Alarcón, to senior manager-exploration, Petro-Tech, Lima, Peru.Previously manager-geosciences, Petro-Tech, Lima, Peru.

Barry Borak, to principal, Huff PrivateEquity Energy Fund, Morristown, N.J.Previously independent consultant,Waban, Mass.

Steven H. Brachman, to explorationmanager-Houston district, Petro-Hunt,Houston. Previously division geologist,Pogo Producing, Houston.

Peter A. Dea, to president and chiefexecutive officer, Cirque Resources,Denver. Previously president and chiefexecutive officer, Western GasResources, Denver.

Karen Dean, to senior geologist,Petro-Canada Resources (USA),Denver. Previously senior staffgeoscientist, Williams Production,Denver.

Mark A. Earley, to geophysicaladviser, Wilcox exploration group, EOGResources, Corpus Christi, Texas.Previously geophysical adviser, regionalstudies-U.S. onshore, Kerr-McGee/Anadarko, Houston.

Joe Ellis, to senior geophysicist,DeGolyer & MacNaughton, Dallas.Previously principal consultant,Landmark Graphics, Houston.

Gonzalo “Gonz” Enciso, to seniorassociate, Rose & Associates, Houston.Previously vice president, theExploration Portfolio, and chiefgeoscientist, Hydro Gulf of Mexico LLC,Houston.

Ian R. Gordon, to senior geophysicaladviser, international new ventures,Noble Energy, Houston. Previously staffgeophysicist, Anadarko Petroleum,Algeria.

Gary S. Grinsfelder, to vicepresident-exploration, TXCO Resources,San Antonio and Houston. Previouslyexecutive vice president-explorationand business development, OutputExploration, Houston.

Jon Herber, to senior geologist,Denbury Resources, Plano, Texas.Previously with Rosewood Resources inDallas.

Sanggam Hutabarat, geologist, SaudiAramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.Previously chief geologist, Kufpec,Jakarta, Indonesia.

Wade D. Hutchings, subsurfacemanager-gas asset team USPO,Marathon Oil, Houston. Previously teamleader-Angola B32 exploration,

Marathon Oil, Houston.

Mike E. Johns, to vice president-geoscience, Bonanza Creek Energy,Bakersfield, Calif. Previouslygeoscience manager, Bonanza CreekEnergy, Bakersfield, Calif.

Michael W. Langeler, to explorationmanager, Cornerstone E&P, Irving,Texas. Previously group lead-EastTexas, EnCana USA, Dallas.

Gopal K. Mohapatra, to geophysicaladviser, Hess Corp., Houston.Previously senior explorationgeophysicist, ExxonMobil Exploration,Houston.

Chris Platt, to manager-petrophysics,Pearl Oil (Thailand), Bangkok, Thailand.Previously consulting petrophysicist,Chevron Thailand E&P, Bangkok,Thailand.

Glenn Rising, to geophysical adviser-GOM exploration, Hess Corp., Houston.Previously geophysical adviser-U.S.onshore exploration, AnadarkoPetroleum, Houston.

Nour El-Din Mohammed Salama, togeologist, Al-Azhar University, Toukh,Egypt. Previously special geologist, Al-Azhar University, Toukh, Egypt.

Gregory S. Slutz, to GIS coordinator,Chevron Southern Africa Strategic BU(SASBU), Luanda, Angola. PreviouslyGIS specialist, Chevron EnergyTechnology, Sugar Land, Texas.

Carl J. Smith has been awarded the2007 Outstanding Alumnus award bythe Reading (Pennsylvania) High SchoolAlumni Association. Smith, formerlystate geologist of West Virginia, isretired and resides in Morgantown,W.Va.

Richard L. “Rich” Smith, to vicepresident, exploration and businessdevelopment, Stone Energy, Lafayette,La. Previously general manager-deepwater exploration, Dominion E&P,New Orleans.

Bob Stancil, to vice president-geology, Plantation PetroleumCompanies, The Woodlands, Texas.Previously senior vice president-exploration, Ignis Petroleum Group,Plano, Texas.

Berry H. “Nick” Tew has been votedpresident-elect of the Association ofAmerican State Geologists (AASG). Hewill serve as AASG president in 2008-09. Tew is state geologist and oil andgas supervisor, Geological Survey of

42

continued on next page

Chacko John, Louisiana stategeologist and director of the LouisianaGeological Survey, heads the list ofAAPG members who will serve asofficers of the Association of AmericanState Geologists during the 2007-08year.

John, who also is a professor atLouisiana State University in BatonRouge, La., will be the AASGpresident for the coming year,succeeding current AAPG president-elect Scott Tinker, of Austin, Texas,

who will serve on the board as pastpresident.

Other AAPG members who willserve as AASG officers this year are:

� President-elect – Berry H. (Nick)Tew, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

� Treasurer – Vince Matthews,Denver.

� Historian – James C. Cobb,Lexington, Ky.

� Statistician – Harvey Thorleifson,Minneapolis. �

Members Assume AASG Posts

Alabama and State Oil and Gas Board ofAlabama (respectively), Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Jan-Henk van Konijnenburg, to BC10subsurface team leader, Shell BrazilE&P, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Previouslysenior geologist, Shell Malaysia E&P,Miri, Malaysia.

Brent J. Voorhees, to staff geologist,Mid-continent and Alaska business unit,Chevron North America E&P, Anchorage,Alaska. Previously affiliated consultinggeologist, Petrotechnical Resources ofAlaska, Anchorage, Alaska.

Dave Weinberg, to principal, PracticalRisk, Rio Rancho, N.M. Previously seniortechnical adviser, U.S. Department ofHomeland Security, Washington, D.C.

Rick Whitehead, to geologist-international new ventures, ApacheCorp., Houston. Previously geologist-North Louisiana/Carthage, AnadarkoPetroleum, The Woodlands, Texas.

(Editor’s note: “Professional NewsBriefs” includes items about members’career moves and the honors theyreceive. To be included, please sendinformation in the above format toProfessional News Briefs, c/o AAPGEXPLORER, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Okla.74101; or fax, 918-560-2636; or e-mail,smoore@aapg.org; or submit directlyfrom the AAPG Web site,www.aapg.org/explorer/pnb_forms.cfm.) Schlumberger Geomechanics

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AUGUST 2007

43

continued from previous page

It’s official. An AAPG member is getting full credit for anotable quote that has beentranslated into every languagespoken by lawyers all over the globe:

“Sue the bastards.”

The Yale Book of Quotations (Yale)gives credit for the phrase to VictorYannacone Jr., a lawyer practicing inPatchogue, N.Y., and an Associatemember who has been active invarious AAPG public outreachinitiatives.

(No. Lawsuits were not involved).The quote also was cited giving

Yannacone origination credit in an issue earlier this year of the

New Yorker magazine.Yannaconne helped found the

Environmental Defense Fund in1967 and, following the exampleof the civil rights movement, wonseveral major environmental victories,including the first air pollution casebrought in an American court.

He also was counsel for Vietnamveterans in the agent orange case.

In the quotations book, WilliamShakespeare has a whopping 451quotes to Yannacone’s one. Thesuspicion is that lawyers – inparticular – quote Yannacone moreoften.

– LARRY NATION

Yannacone

Anne Payne EndsAAPG Career

Anne Payne has retired as AAPGinformation systems manager after41 years of service.

Payne was an airline stewardessfor Delta Airlines before first comingto AAPG in1964 as awordprocessor.She trained asthe newtechnologyprogressedand ultimatelybecame thechief architectof AAPG’scustomizeddata systemand overseer of the Association’smainframe.

She also supervised theAssociation’s switchover to iMISassociation software. �

Payne

Member’s Words Live On, and On, and On ...

44

AUGUST 2007

(The Geophysical Corner is a regularcolumn in the EXPLORER, edited by BobA. Hardage, senior research scientist atthe Bureau of Economic Geology, theUniversity of Texas at Austin. This month’scolumn deals with gas hydrate andseismic attributes.)

By DIANA SAVAand BOB HARDAGE

The need to understand deepwatergas hydrate systems is increasing, asseveral quarters of the geosciences worldwants answers about:

� The use of hydrate as an energyresource.

� The role of hydrate in seafloorstability.

� Hydrate linkage to shallow-waterflow.

� The nature of hydrate systemarchitecture.

Gas hydrate is a solid material in whichwater molecules link together to form acage, or clathrate, which encloses a

single gas molecule. Several of theseclathrates then link together to form abasic “unit volume” of crystalline hydrate.

Depending on the type of gasmolecules that are trapped in thesecages, the number of clathrates that arelinked to form these unit volumes may be8 (Structure I), 24 (Structure II) or 6(Structure H).

Because this ice-like material affectsVP and VS seismic propagation velocitiesin deepwater sediment, it appears thataccurate measurements of VP and VSmade across deepwater, near-seafloorstrata may allow hydrate concentrationswithin these strata to be estimated.

However, a major problem thatconfronts geophysicists who attempt touse seismic attributes to infer hydrateconcentration in deepwater systems is

that no one knows with confidence howthese small unit-building blocks of hydrateare distributed within their host sediment.

* * *

Four possible hydrate-sedimentmorphologies are illustrated in figure 1:

� Model A assumes that the unitvolumes of linked clathrates makephysical contact with the sediment grains,become a part of the matrix and bear partof the sediment load.

� Model B assumes that the unithydrate volumes float freely in the porespaces and do not bear any sedimentload.

� In Model C, many unit volumes linktogether to form thin layers of purehydrate, and the hydrate system is aseries of these pure-hydrate layersalternating with layers of hydrate-freesediment.

� Model D is similar to “C,” except thelayers of pure hydrate are replaced withlayers of uniformly dispersed load-bearinghydrate, the concept described by “A.”

In some areas, hydrate no doubt existsin vertical fractures and dikes, but forbrevity, vertically oriented hydratedistributions are not included in this suiteof models.

The dilemma confronting hydrateinvestigators is that for any given hydrateconcentration, seismic propagation

velocity changes significantly for each ofthese possible hydrate distributions(Model A, B, C and D).

For example, P-wave velocity VP foreach of these four hydrate models isillustrated in figure 2 as a function ofhydrate concentration, and S-wavevelocity (VS) behavior is shown in figure 3.For a fixed concentration of hydrate (say avolumetric fraction of 30 percent), VP canrange from 3,300 m/s (Model D, fastmode) to 2,000 m/s (Model C, slowmode), and VS can vary from 1,600 m/s(Model D, fast mode) to 200 m/s(Model B).

As a result, seismic-based and well-log-measured values of VP and VS cannotbe used to predict deepwater hydrateconcentration unless you know how thehydrate is distributed inside its hostsediment.

* * *

This lack of understanding abouthydrate-sediment morphologies indeepwater strata exists because there issuch a paucity of laboratory analyses ofcores that traverse deepwater hydratesystems.

For seismic and well log analyses ofdeepwater hydrates to accelerate at afaster pace, deepwater cores:

� Must be obtained.� Must be maintained in their in situ

temperature and pressure environment.� Must be subjected to laboratory

studies while maintaining these in situconditions.

These laboratory tests must bedesigned so that the spatial distribution ofhydrate throughout each test sample isaccurately defined for specific hydratesystems.

Only then can researchers decidewhether Model A, B, C and/or D, or someother hydrate morphology model,describes the rock physics concepts thathave to be used to relate VP, VS and otherseismic attributes to hydrateconcentration in each type of hydrateenvironment that needs to be evaluated indeepwater basins. �

(Editor’s note: Sava and Hardage bothare with the Bureau of Economic Geologyin Austin, Texas.)

Diving Into Gas Hydrate Systems

Figure 1 – Four possible models of gas hydrate systems: (A) load-bearing hydrate; (B)pore-filling hydrate; (C) thin layers of pure hydrate intercalated with layers of hydrate-free sediment; (D) thin layers of load-bearing hydrate intercalated with thin layers ofhydrate-free sediment. Hydrate is represented in blue, with sediment in black.

Figure 2 – P-wave velocity VP shown as a function of the volumetric fraction of hydrate(Cgh) in deepwater sediment for each of the four hydrate-sediment models illustratedin figure 1. Layer Models C and D allow both a slow mode (dashed curve) and a fastmode (solid curve) to propagate. Sediment porosity is assumed to be 0.37, and theeffective pressure is set at 0.01MPa.

Figure 3 – S-wave velocity VS shown as a function of the volumetric fraction of hydrate(Cgh) in deepwater sediment for each of the four hydrate-sediment models illustratedin figure 1. Layer Models C and D allow both a slow mode (dashed curve) and a fastmode (solid curve) to propagate. Sediment porosity is defined to be 0.37, andeffective pressure is assumed to be 0.01 MPa.

Photo courtesy Ian McDonald, Texas A&M

Core recovered from the Johnson Sealinkcruise in the Gulf of Mexico in July 2001.

AUGUST 2007

45Abstracts SoughtFor San Antonio;Deadline Sept. 27

Now is the time to prepare and submityour abstracts for the next AAPG AnnualConvention, which will be held April 20-23in San Antonio.

It’s also time for exhibitors to reserveyour place in what promises to be a largeand exciting exhibits hall.

This year’s convention theme is “Deliverthe Conventional; Pursue theUnconventional,” and members of thehosting South Texas Geological Societyare preparing a program that addressesthe challenges of unconventional plays –including shale gas, oil shale and coalbedmethane.

Abstracts, which should be submittedonline at www.aapg.org/sanantonio, aredue Sept. 27.

The convention’s technical program,which will involve forums as well as theusual paper and poster sessions, will bebuilt around 12 areas. They are:

� Hydrocarbons from Shale and Coal.� Deepwater Slope to Basin Systems.� Structural Geology.� Sedimentology and Stratigraphy.� Reservoir Characterization and

Modeling.� Hydrocarbon Systems and Basin

Analysis.� New and Expanded Plays in North

American and Global Basins.� Geospatial Technology and

Astrogeology.� Environmental Concerns Related to

Resource Development.� Alternative Energy.� Shaping Our Industry: People and

Policy.� Student Presentations.For either exhibition space details

contact Steph Benton at 1-918-560-2696;or e-mail to sbenton@aapg.org. Forsponsorship opportunity details contactRanda Reeder-Briggs at 1-918-560-2660;or e-mail rreeder@aapg.org. �

USGS DirectorIs Mid-ContinentLunch SpeakerMark Myers, the recently named

director of the U.S. GeologicalSurvey, will be the All-ConventionLuncheon speaker for this year’sannual convention of the AAPG Mid-Continent Section.

The meeting will be Sept. 8-11 atthe Airport Hilton Hotel andConvention Center in Wichita, Kan.The theme is “New Ideas – More Oiland Gas.”

Exploring that theme will be 52papers and 15 posters that reflect thestate-of-art developments oneverything from shale gas to multi-component 4-D seismic in sandstonereservoirs. They will becomplemented by a sold-out exhibitsarea.

New this year for the Mid-Continent is an emphasis on studentparticipation, first with no registrationfees, and second via a job fair forstudents, to be held on Monday andTuesday, Sept. 10-11.

Myers, an AAPG member, isAlaska’s former state geologist andhead of Alaska’s Geological Survey.He is the 14th director of the USGSsince its inception in 1879.

For registration or moreinformation, go online towww.aapg.org. �

Rufus J. LeBlanc,an AAPG PowersMedalist, honorarymember andinternationallyrenowned geologist,died Tuesday, June19, in Houston aftera short illness. Hewas 90.

LeBlanc, whospent more than 40years at Shell’sBellaire ResearchLaboratory, was best known for hispioneer and exemplary work on recent

sediments, synthesis of Gulf Coastgeology – and Cajun stories.

He received the AAPG President’sAward in 1974; honorary membership in1981; and the Sidney Powers MemorialMedal, AAPG’s highest honor, in 1988.

Eldon Fredyrick Frazey, 84Derby, Kan., Feb. 22, 2007

Charles Lewis Jones, 75New Orleans, May 19, 2007

Rufus Joseph LeBlanc, 89Houston, June 19, 2007

Reese E. Mallette, 75Birmingham, Ala., May 5, 2007

Asa Duncan McRae, 86Dallas, May 10, 2007

Michael Bruce Mickey, 61Encinitas, Calif., April 5, 2007

Theodore “Ted” Allan Small, 83San Antonio, June 8, 2007

Charles Buckner Spradlin, 75Wichita, Kan., May 26, 2007

Laura Jean Ullrich, 52The Woodlands, TexasApril 11, 2007 �

(Editor’s note: “In Memory” listingsare based on information received fromthe AAPG membership department.)

LeBlanc

AUGUST 2007

46

The newly elected officers of theAAPG Middle East Region are:

� President – Abdulkader (Aboud)Afifi (through June 30, 2009).

� Vice president – Chris Heine(through June 30, 2010).

� President-elect - Husain al-Otaibi(through June 30, 2009).

� Secretary – James W. Tucker(through June 30, 2009).

� Treasurer – Ahmed Hameda(through June 30, 2009).

Middle East Region Officers Elected

(Editor’s note: Regions and Sectionsis a regular column in the EXPLORERoffering news for and about AAPG’s sixinternational Regions and six domesticSections.

News items, press releases and otherinformation should be submitted to theEXPLORER/Regions and Sections, P.O.Box 979, Tulsa, Okla. 74101.

Contact: Carol McGowen, AAPG’sRegions and Sections manager, at1-918-560-9403; or e-mail tocmcgowen@aapg.org.

This month’s column deals withAAPG’s new online election service.)

BY CAROL McGOWENRegions and Sections Manager

AAPG headquarters staff continuallystrives to improve services to membersworldwide – and the latest evidence ofthis is the new online voting service forour Regions and Sections.

With the close of the organization’sfiscal year on June 30 came the end ofmany AAPG elected officer terms.Traditionally, AAPG Sections, Regions oraffiliated societies seek headquartersassistance with their officer elections.

Staff assistance involves validatingthe qualifications of officer candidates,creating the paper ballots andoverseeing the printing and mailing ofballots and election instructions.

And then there is the sorting andcounting by headquarters staff ofindividual paper ballots returned toAAPG headquarters in sealed envelopes– the entire process taking up to twomonths.

This year, with the help of AAPG’s ITdepartment, a new online voting processhas been developed, and the MiddleEast Region was the first to test andutilize this quick, efficient and secureelection method.

(Our thanks to AAPG Middle EastRegion President Aboud Afifi for hisleadership to eagerly embrace the newprocess – and for his assistance to helptest the newly designed system.)

Step by Step

Here’s how the process works:� The Region president submits

officer candidate names to AAPGheadquarters, and an electronic ballot iscreated.

� AAPG headquarters sends a teste-mail to all members in the region whohave provided an e-mail address as partof their membership record.

The test e-mail contains a “messagefrom the president” announcing theupcoming election and new online votingprocess – thus alerting members to theupcoming election but also checking thevalidity of the e-mail addresses.

Headquarters staff monitors andrecords all “bounce back” e-mails. Thosemembers who do not use e-mail or thosewith a faulty e-mail address will not beleft out of the voting process; they willreceive a traditional paper ballot asbefore.

� One week later, a second e-mailannounces the opening of the election, adeadline after which votes will no longerbe accepted and online votinginstructions. Members are directed to the“Members Only” area of AAPG’s Website where they can log in with theirusername (AAPG membership number)and password.

If you have forgotten your password,click on “Reset My Password” and followthe instructions (see page 50).

� Once logged on, members caneasily follow the instructions to theelectronic ballot, where they select theirchoice of candidates by clicking on thecircle adjacent to each candidate’sname. There is no limit to the number oftimes a vote may be changed BEFOREsubmitting the ballot. Members areencouraged to check their ballotcarefully before hitting the “submit”button.

Safeguards

There are a number of safeguards tomaintain security and accuracy:

� Logging on with an AAPG membernumber ensures only AAPG membersare able to vote.

� The electronic ballot allows onlyone vote for one candidate for any oneoffice.

� The online system will accept onlyone ballot per member. If a second voteis attempted, members will see amessage on their computer screenstating, “Thank you for your votesubmitted on ___ date. Members mayvote only once in this election.”

� By hitting the “print” button beforesubmitting the ballot, members may printa copy of their ballot for recordkeepingand to further safeguard the accuracy oftheir vote.

The two-part vote countingmechanism is designed to be equallysecure.

� Votes are automatically countedand recorded on an electronicscorecard.

� Each time a ballot is submitted, ane-mail of that ballot is created. Thee-mails automatically go to an e-mailaccount, which allows each e-mail ballotto be viewed, printed and manually

continued on next page

Elections EnterOnline Voting Era

If you’re planning to attend the AAPGEuropean Region Energy Conferenceand Exhibition in Athens, Greece, thereare hundreds of reasons why now wouldbe a good time to register.

Register by Sept. 19 and you couldsave up to $275 off the registration fee.

Athens 2007, the first joint venturemeeting between AAPG and the AAPGEuropean Region, will be held Nov.18-21 at the Megaron InternationalConference Centre.

The meeting’s official technicalprogram and registration announcementhas been mailed and both are nowavailable online atwww.aapg.org/athens.

The meeting’s theme is “ChallengeOur Myths,” which will include threemain areas: Regional, Technical and aManagement Forum on “Energy Supplyand Demand Perspective on CurrentDynamics.”

The entire technical program will offer348 technical presentations – 228 oralpapers in five concurrent sessions and120 full-day posters.

Some of the technical programhighlights include:

� A session on “UntraditionalTheories and Ideas in Global and LargeScale Geology,” which will examine thebasis for the concept of subductionzones.

� Updates on recent exploration andproduction within key petroleum regionsin the Mediterranean, North Africa,Middle East, Caspian, Black Sea,Russia, North Sea, Norwegian Sea andthe Barents Sea.

� Updates on carbonate and clasticreservoirs, structural geology, heavy oil,unconventional resources and resourceestimation.

� A look at the energy supply anddemand picture.

Greece’s multi-dimensional historyand culture will provide the setting for anumber of social activities, includingvisits to:

� Classical and historical locations inand around Athens – including theAcropolis and Agora.

� Archaeological and Byzantiummuseums.

� High-tech displays at the HellenicCentre, planetarium and OlympicComplex Centre.

� Nearby islands of Aigina andSpetses.

� Vineyards and wineries in Attica.Remember, registration and other

meeting details are available online atwww.aapg.org/athens.

And remember to register by Sept. 19to save a lot of money. �

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AUGUST 2007

47Early Registration MeansBig Savings for Athens

counted, if necessary.Once the election is closed, the

Region president is immediately notifiedof the winners. Then at the Regionpresident’s direction, an e-mail is sentout by AAPG headquarters notifying allmembers in the Region of the electionresults. �

continued from previous page

The Acropolis is just one of the attractions that Athens holds for those attending theAAPG-AAPG European Region Energy Conference and Exhibition.

48

AUGUST 2007

Foundation (General)Jeffrey B. AhbeOkui AkihikoJohn Edward Allen Jr.Jose Luis DrummondAlves

Willis F. AmmentorpMichael AnthonyAndersen

Donald D. AndersonThornton E. AndersonBernard AlexandreAndre

Terje AndresenRichard L. ApplingAdnan A.M. AqrawiLarry M. AsburyJohn Charles AubreyJohn Michael AustinJerry Mark AdamBabiuk

Heinz BachmannJonas W. BaileyKandiah BalachandranGeorge Arnold Ball Jr.Brent BarberCharles Thomas BarkerDavid BarrTerry J. BarronCharles A. Barton Sr.John R. BarwinWilliam LassiterBasham

Tanwi BasuGerald R. BaumWilliam Alfred BeauclairWayne AdrianceBelding

Jamel E. BelhadiAlfred E. BenceRoberto Vittorio BenciniPaul G. Benedum Jr.Michael WilliamBennett

Jarrad G. BergRobert Garvin Berry Jr.Roy Lee BerryDan A. BillmanWilliam L. BilodeauDavid D. BlackwellJames A. BlahaThomas AlwinBlasingame

Taylor Evans BloodMatthew Regis BobRicky Scott BoehmeAlbert S. Bonner Jr.Brian Keith BoslaughRichard GeorgeBozanich

Lorenz M. BrarenDonald A. BriceMichael David BrondosIan Thomas BrownJohnnie Boyd BrownSally Sue BrownSpencer LawrenceBrown

Wallace EdwardBrunson

Charles T. Bukowski Jr.Ernest BurroughsArthur Wallace Butler IIIMalcolm ButlerDon Forest CarlosWilliam Plack CarrJohn Richard CarsonDennis D. CarulliLuis CastilloPaul David CateCarrie A. CazesMark AnthonyChapman

Carlo Charles ChristinaRichard EugeneChurch

Jerry Herbert ClarkJames Dennis Clay Jr.Kenneth Paul ClementsWilliam Benjamin ClineThomas Arthur CloudJ. Glenn ColeEdward Wilson CollinsBehtaz Compani-Tabrizi

Richard Dale CookSteven CordiviolaJames Maurice Cox

In memory of RobertM. Veal

William J. Cox Jr.Richard Eric CullKenneth FrancisCummings

Steven Michael CurranChris Charles CurryVinod DangwalEdward Louis DavisKenneth E. DavisThomas Marvin DeeterWilliam D. DeMis

Timothy R. DeverHerless Francisco DiezEric Armstrong DilleWarren J. DoenzEdward D. DollyRichard OliverDonley Jr.

Kim Andrew DoudMichael Lee DouglasHugh DresserLouis H. Du BoisRobert Cullen DuncanRalph T. EarleKeith M. EastwoodChikwendu EliasEdoziem

John David EdwardsJames R. EhretsJack Ray Elam Jr.William JamesEmerson

Parrish Erwin Jr.Thomas Glenn Fails Jr.Mark D. FalkGlen Lee FaulknerFrank Peter FiliceAndrew Kenneth FinleyGerald Lee FletcherMark W. FletcherGregory Brian FlynnWayne K. FooLaura Stager FoulkFrederick B. FowlerTodd Arthur FowlerRoger Alan FreidlineGerald ManfredFriedman

David S. FugittJames M. FunkVictor Hugo GabelaSherwood MoneerGaglianoIn memory of RobertSabaté

Jose SebastianGaleazzi

Gary L. GalyardtTerry L. GaneyHongxing GeLee C. GerhardKenneth Clark GesterDipak Ranjan GhoshNorman R. GiedtJoe N. GiffordEwa Anna GinalJimmy Earl GoolsbyJohn Mervin JamesGould

Robert F. Grabb Jr.Patrick Sean GrattonWayland Eugene GrayDavid John GreenThomas EdgarGreen Jr.

Joseph G. GreenbergDavid G. GriffinCarlos ErnestoGuerrero

William Roy GuffeyAlan R. HaightThomas Watson HallJames MartinHancock Jr.

John Allen HarrellJeffrey W. HarwellDaniel B. HaugRichard Craig HayesJames HenryHenderson

Douglas W. HicksYasunori HiguchiSteve H. HillPhilip Richard HodgsonCalvin S. HoltJohnston Earl HolzmanJason Andrew HootenJenny HopePhilip HosemannHouston ExplorationCo.Matching gift fromEd Dolly

Alexander JosephHruby

Billy Pete HuddlestonPatricia G. HughesWilliam Allan HunterMatthew Glover HydeSherry Kay HyerIvan InchenkoWayne CarterIsphording

Tad IwamotoKenneth EugeneJackson

Creties JenkinsFaris ThayerJohnson Jr.

Ragnar E. Johnson Jr.Christie Ann JonesMarion K. Jones

Shigeyoshi KagawaPaul David KaminskyDag Arild KarlsenRobert O. KarsianAllen L. KelleyWayne Russell KempJohn Robert KinneyTom KirkwoodJames Edward KlineKim Donald KlitgordTako KoningMyron KorpanPeter KubikDavid Lee KunovicJohn Henry LakeWilliam EdwardLangenbahnIn memory of JohnH. Gray

Andrew LathamTimothy Frost LawtonDonald Clement Le Van

In memory of GeneJacob Wiloth

Morris W. LeightonSitian LiRichard B. LodewickBrian Warren LoganRichard AlanLorentz Jr.

Shane LoughJames Diller LowellJeffrey William LundBruce A. MacPherson Jr.

Leslie Blake Magoon IIIMike R. MaitlandDean N. MaloutaHolger MandlerRobert MaricRobert Louis MarinStephen K. MarksLouis Martin MartinezRuben MartinezErik Paul MasonFumiaki MatsudaJames Coert MatthewsBruce William MattocksJohn Reed MaxwellAmy Karen MaynardMark Kevin MayoWilliam L. McIntireCatherine D. McRaeMark John McRaeFred C. MeendsenHorng-Sheng MiiKurt Douglas MillerShane MichaelMogensen

Larry Richard MoyerJoseph Paul Mueller Jr.Prasanta K.Mukhopadhyay

James Alfred MulliganIII

Catherine MarieMurphy

Janet Lee MurphyJerome Nicholas NamyRodney Frank NelsonStacey WaggonerNguyen

David Frederick NicklinDuncan JamesNightingale

Susan Ellen NissenRussell HowardNordwell

Ian NortonRoderick Paul NourseMark E. O’KorenAngelo F. OkumaJames Larkin O’Neill

In memory ofBurdette A. Ogle

Carel Otte, Jr.Cuneyt OzdilDianne B. PadgettCormac ParsonsBlake P. PattersonRonald PattinsonMyron William Payne

William C. PearsonJorge Hernando PenaW.B. Perry Jr.Richard Lee PiquneRobert S. PittmanJohn F. PolasekCarlos Alberto PolettoJohn Richard PorterGeorge Flory PritchardDonald Gerard PuglioTracy A. PursellWilliam MooreQuackenbush

Kenneth RobertQuarfothIn memory of HarveyStein

Philippe J.Y.M. RabillerRobert David RallRoger L. ReaganBrenda Eileen ReillyJoachim WihelmReinhardt

Karl Albert RettenmaierMichael HughReynolds

Eddie W. RheaTamara ChristineRichards

Colonel AdamsRichardsonIn memory ofHoward R. Green

William ArthurRobbins Jr.

Harry H. RobertsJeff RobertsLloyd Bain RobertsonMichael A. RogersKurt William RudolphLance RuffelRobert Nevin Ryan Jr.Jorgen SamuelssonJeffrey J. SandeJohn Ross SanFilipoRebecca De ReglaSantos

Toshiaki SatoGeoffrey Marshall SayDaniel David SchellingJoerg SchmitzValary Leigh SchulzWerner WilhelmSchwarzhans

Joseph Paul ScibiorskiThomas DonaldSheffield

Tomonori ShibataMichael Ray ShortRobert Charles ShoupJose R. SierraPeter Edwin SikorskiDavid John SivilsGregory John SmithThomas Ray SmithRonald Wayne SnyderGeorge C. SoronenColin Leonard StablerSarah G. StanleySteven Allan StanleyWilliam Thomas StelzerMichael DaleStephenson

Richard Clay SteverJohn W. StewartGregory James StoneStephen MalcolmStrachan

James Rudolph StrawnUwe StreckerWade Kurtz StricklandF. Michael Strunk

In memory of FredDixand Norman Foster

Grandhi SubbaraoAsep RachmanSuhendan

Albert Yen SunPaul JosephSzatkowski

Tateishi Takeo

Lawrence TedescoWilliam C. TerrellJack Marcus ThorsonSm TobingJohn J. TonnsenGlenn D. TracyJames Kendall TriggerDavid Gene TschoppMateo Alberto TuricGregory F. UlmishekPatrick UnternehrJohannes T. Van GorselMarco Willem A. VanHattum

Matteo VanniniJose Antonio VarelaMontes

Richard Kent WaddellJerome Paul WalkerBevan Jon WarrisSimon Peter WatersJohn P. WatkinsWillard Lynn WatneyFrank Earl WeagantMichael G. WebbCollier T. WeinerDave Andrew WhellerJack WienerBruce Henry WileyLouis EdwardWillhoit Jr.

Robert Stewart WilliamsIn memory of WillisDecker

Steven John WilliamsAaron Bailey Wilson Jr.Peter George WilsonStephen Alex WippelJeremy Crosby WireJames Charlton WiseTimothy Francis WrightKwung-Shing WuGordon K. YahneyDavid Bruce YoungChristopher AndrzejZgoda

Jeffrey R. ZollerDavid William Zwart

Awards FundRobert Berg

Outstanding ResearchAward

Christopher JamesModica

Best Student Paperand Poster Award

Judit German-HeinsMike John LakinMehrdad Tavana

A.I. Levorsen MemorialAward

Robert Irving Levorsen

Teacher of the YearAward

Ronald ClarenceBowser

John Aldrich Worthen

Daniel A. BuschLibrary Fund

Harold W. Hanke

Continuing EducationFund

Rachid ChedidGregor DixonYves Henri Grosjean

Digital Products FundBen Nicholas AbbottKenneth AniessAbdelmadjid AttarAndre BaumannJustine Ann BoccaneraDennis D. CarulliCarl Allen DimonJean HaremboureRobert Stan Jumper

Stephen K. MarksJohn Wayne Shelton

In memory of RufusJ. LeBlanc Jr.David Paul ThetfordLynn Williams

Baylor UniversityArthur Oren Beall Jr.Victor Hugo GabelaJames Charles andLisa Meyerhoff

John Wayne Shelton

Louisiana StateUniversity

John A. Parker

Miami University (Ohio)Douglas M. Lorenz

Oklahoma StateUniversity

Jay Mason Gregg

Rice UniversityJames WilliamEberhardt

Stanford UniversityJames MichaelHollywood

University of Calgary,Canada

Kent Wilkinson

University of MichiganEric Thomas Taylor

University of MissouriM. Ray Thomasson

University of Nebraska,Lincoln

Larry L. JonesIn honor of M. Stout

University of SouthernCalifornia, Los AngelesAllen Y. Tamura

Distinguished LectureFund

David L. AllinThomas JohnBirmingham

Peter BurriDennis D. CarulliAndreia Regina DiasElias

Brent Allen JacksonRichard EdwardLownes

Richard D. NehringIn memory of BillStanton

Forrest Elwood NelsonPaul Moore RadyJohn Edward WarmeRitchie WaylandJohn Nolan Wesson

Allan P. BennisonDistinguished Lecture

FundWillard Lynn Watney

Roy M. HuffingtonDistinguished Lecture

FundGordy George Shanor

Glen Pool MuseumFund

Gordy George Shanor

Grants-in-Aid FundJohn Daniel AdamsonJames EdmundBlumthal

Rena Mae Bonem

Dennis D. CarulliRucsandra MariaCorbeanu

William Karley DahleenLeon S. Ditzell Jr.D. Ramsey FisherRobert John GrothGeorge A. GroverNicholas B. HarrisPhilip HosemannThomas Barron Howes

In memory of B.L.Shullaw

Larry Craig KnauerIn memory of JohnKilkenny

Robert Winfield KochIn memory ofHeinrich L. Koch

Timothy Frost LawtonCatharine LondonRichard EdwardLownes

Anson MarkIn memory of EarlGriffith

Rex MonahanErik Carl E. Palmlov

In memory of IvarHessland

Matthew J. ParsleyForrest Graham PooleMichael Joseph QuinnAmy Marie RichardsonSigmund J. RosenfeldPhilip L. RyallJohn ScottJohn P. Shannon Jr.Peter Edwin SikorskiLetha Patrice SlagleFrederic August TietzMark TomassoAlbert Noll Ward Jr.Robert J. WeimerRichard F. YuretichSteven Paul Zody

Gustavus E. ArchieMemorial Grant

Donald RansomLindsayIn memory of Boband RamonaSneider

Don R. Boyd MemorialGrant

Keith Hayes Baker

Ike Crumbly Minoritiesin Energy Grant

Bruno Maldonado

Eastern SectionNamed Grant

Katharine Lee Avary

Energy Minerals GrantEdward Scheid CusterJr.

Norman H. FosterMemorial Grant

Marvin D. BrittenhamPeter Grant MorelandDavid Lawrence Read

Jean G. FunkhouserMemorial Grant

Robert G. LindblomIn memory of BradMcMichael, HubertMee and Douglas D.Hastings

Robert K. GoldhammerMemorial Grant

Andrei BelopolskyJulia Fiona Wells GaleLaura Ines NetJan Henk VanKonijnenburg

Bernold M. “Bruno”HansonMemorial

Environmental GrantRobert G. Lindblom

In honor of DonnaRiggs

James E. HooksMemorial Grant

Pete J. ChimneyDale Alan FritzJayne L. Sieverding

Frank E. KottlowskiMemorial Grant

Steven John Johansen

Ken Stanley MemorialGrant

Ralph Arthur Stone

K-12 FundCraig William AdamsFrank J. Adler

In memory of LarrySloss

John Howard BairMarvin D. BrittenhamMary C. CarrDennis D. CarulliChih Shan ChenRicky D. CherringtonLester Woodrow ClutterHoward Attas Creasey

In memory of T.J.Thompsonand EdwardHazelwood

Robert A. Doak Jr.Leo B. Elliott Jr.Thomas Glenn Fails Jr.Michael Neal FeinStan FineSamuel ArthurFriedman

Yafue FujiwaraDebra Knox GomezPatrick Thomas GordonHarold W. HankeAndrew S. HarperJeanne ElizabethHarrisIn memory of AndyAlpha

Paul CarringtonHenshaw Jr.

Elizabeth A.E. JohnsonMichelle JudsonRobert Winfield Koch

In memory ofHeinrich L. Koch

David Roy LanningChristopher MorrowLaunerIn memory of Paul R.Launer

James Stephen LeeNina C. LianShane LoughRichard EdwardLownes

Stephen K. MarksTruitt Floyd MatthewsGeorge MavrisWalter W. McMahan Jr.

In memory of JamesO. Lewis

David Edward NollerRichard E. OppelPaul F. OzanichJohn A. ParkerMatthew J. ParsleyDavid G. PoeKaren C. ReynoldsAmy Marie RichardsonWilliam F. RipleyStanley Edmund RoeJames William Ryan IVPaul Eric SacksJerol Murray SonoskyMichael J. StearnsJames RichardSteidtmann

William Thomas StelzerGilbert Ralph SternJohn McCamey SweetDavid Lowell TettPaul ThompsonDonald E. WalkerJames L. Wilson

Publication PipelineFund

Patricia E. AbneyMartin MacdermottCassidy

E.F. Reid ScoutingFund

Paul H. Dudley Jr.In memory of Joe E.Pelline

Gary Charles Robinson

Special PublicationsFund

Pieter Jan Pestman

Visiting GeoscientistFund

Paul F. Ozanich �

Foundation DonorsThe names that appear here are of those who have

made donations to the AAPG Foundation in the pastmonth – predominately through adding some additionalmonies on their annual dues statement.

To these people, and to those who have generouslymade donations in the past, we sincerely thank you.

With your gifts, the AAPG Foundation will continue itsstewardship for the betterment of the science and theprofession of petroleum geology.

The AAPG Foundation Trustees

The AAPG Foundation recentlyreceived generous gifts to fund newDigital Products subscriptions at threeuniversities, and the FoundationTrustee Associates have announcedtwo new members.

The new Trustee Associates are:� Larry Jones, Houston.� Charles Williamson, Sonoma,

Calif.Their membership brings the

Associates total to 265.Jones, last year’s chairman of the

AAPG House of Delegates, also hasprovided funding for a DigitalProducts Subscription for theUniversity of Nebraska, Lincoln, inhonor of professor M. Stout.

The month’s second gift toward aDigital Products Subscription is fromM. Ray Thomasson and his wife,Merrill Shields, for the University ofMissouri, Columbia.

Thomasson, of Denver, is an AAPGHonorary Member and past president.

The third gift is from John H. andColleen Silcox, for the University ofCalifornia-Berkeley.

The DataPages online universitysubscriptions provides access to allAAPG publications from 1917 throughthe present, including the AAPGBULLETIN, EnvironmentalGeosciences and AAPG specialpublications. In addition, the currentcollection of over 600,000 pagesincludes over a dozen geologicalsociety collections with more beingadded continually.

More than $462,500 has beenreceived for university subscriptions

since the program started in 2005.For more information, or to provide

this gift to your alma mater, contactRebecca Griffin with the Foundation at918-560-2644.

* * *In other Foundation news, the A.I.

Levorsen Memorial Award is getting amakeover.

Robert Levorsen, of Novato, Calif.,

recently provided agenerous gift that theFoundation will use toupdate the LevorsenAward plaque originallyestablished in 1966 by Dr.A.I. Levorsen’s friends tocreate a lasting memorialto him.

The Levorsen Award ispresented at each AAPGSection meeting to theindividual presenting thebest paper, with particular

emphasis on creative thinking towardnew ideas in exploration. The winners –including co-authors – also receive acopy of A.I. Levorsen’s book, Geologyof Petroleum. �

AUGUST 2007

49

Eastern SectionMeets Sept. 16-18In Lexington, Ky.“Winning the Energy Trifecta” is

the theme for this year’s annualmeeting of the AAPG Eastern Section,which will be held Sept. 16-18 inLexington, Ky.

The meeting, set at the LexingtonConvention Center, offers a two-daytechnical program, workshops and avariety of field trips to viewgeologically significant areas ofKentucky.

The meeting theme, organizerssaid, “reflects the triple challengefaced by the energy industry inexploring, developing and sustainingenergy resources.”

Meeting highlights will include:� Training courses for

Geographix and Petra geologicalsoftware.

� Workshops on CO2 enhanced oilrecovery and unconventionalreservoir analysis (see related stories,page 16).

� A “Devonian Shalebration,”which is a special display ofDevonian organic-rich shale coresfrom the Appalachian, Illinois andMichigan basins.

� A tour of Mammoth Cave, theworld’s longest known cave system,and a coal geology trip tosoutheastern Kentucky.

� Participation in a teachers’workshop at the Falls of the OhioState Park near Louisville.

For registration or moreinformation, go tohttp://www.esaapg07.org. �

Jones Thomasson Shields Silcox Silcox

The Petroleum Group of theGeological Society

FUTURE CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

At the forefront of petroleum geoscience

www.geolsoc.org.uk/petroleum

2 October 2007 Sequence Stratigraphy Burlington House

6-7 November 2007 South Atlantic Petroleum Systems Burlington House

21-22 November 2007 Petroleum Geoscience Collaboartion Burlington House

23 January 2008 Maximising the remaining potential of the Central North Sea Burlington House

5-6 March 2008 Reservoir Compartmentalization Burlington House

27 March 2008 19th Petroleum Group Annual DinnerNatural History Museum

14-15 May 2008 Fold-Thrust Belt Exploration Burlington House

May/June 2008 Rift Renaissance Houston, Texas

16-18 September 2008 Fault Zones: Structure, Geomechanics and Fluid Flow Burlington House

30-31 October 2008 Subsurface Sediment Mobilisation Burlington House

For sponsorship opportunities, to submit an abstract, to register or for further information on any of the events listed please contact:

The Conference Office, Geological Society of London. Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7434 9944 Fax: +44 (0)20 7494 0579

Email: francesca.chapman@geolsoc.org.uk

www.geolsoc.org.uk

AUGUST 2007

By JANET BRISTERWeb Site Editor

You’ve got the power.For some that brings to mind a head-

bangin’ beat and a little smile of a songfrom the past.

Yet that’s the phrase that came to mymind as I started to address passwordusage and the fact there are stillmembers not using their “members only”access.

With a password you have the powerto pay your bills, share (or not share)your life-information with others and gainaccess to proprietary data for your eyesonly.

Stop and think for a moment howmany passwords you use on a dailybasis. There’s the security code for workor home; ATM machines, voice mail,e-mail, bill-paying, shopping, datamining, computers, laptops, cell phones,keyless car entry … the list never ends.

With our trusty four-digit (andbeyond), alphanumeric, non-randomeasy-to-remember (yeah, right!)password we have a lot of power toopen doors of all kinds.

The Beat Goes On

Passwords have become anecessary part of our electronic world.Those of us who prefer electronic overtraditional communication embracepasswords and have found a strategythat works.

By strategy I refer to managing thosepasswords, keeping them simple

enough to remember, finding acombination of alpha and numericcharacters that makes a passworduniversally accepted, yet still simple …stuff like that.

Sounds simple, right?Well, there are some of you saying

“No” to that question. You see the word“password” and lock up. You simplywant to do your research and move on.Pay your bill and continue your day.

It’s all about empowerment.

On the other side of this powerequation are the people who aregranting you access. At times they giveyou complete control over your loginconfiguration and at times they ask youto conform to their system’srequirements.

AAPG falls somewhere in the middleof that strategy.

AAPG has asked for some conformityto assist in better managing andsynchronizing passwords with members’

information and activity.All AAPG members have been issued

a unique number as their member ID.This is your “Login” code and is printedon your membership card. This does notvary for anyone.

However, you have control over yourpassword. Here are the guidelines:

� Four to 32 character limit.� Alpha and numeric characters only

(no symbols such as $, _, !).� Watch your case – it is case

sensitive so if you use a capital letter itmust always be a capital letter.

Memories

Sometimes we forget thesepasswords or can’t remember the initialone assigned to us.

We have a procedure to remedy.On the members only login page look

for the “Reset my password” link. Youprovide us your e-mail and quickly ane-mail is sent providing you a link toreset your password.

If the e-mail you provide does notmatch the e-mail AAPG has in yourrecord you’ll know immediately andshould call AAPG for assistance.

Just because you have the power toelectronically do business with AAPGdoesn’t mean you are expected to nevercall and talk to your AAPG staff. It justmeans you can do business when it isconvenient for you – wherever youhappen to be!

Good browsing! �

50

Ray Boswell

Steven C. Dixon

J. M. Masset

Sverre Strandenes

Bob Tippee

Join more than 8,000 geoscientists in San Antonio this September celebrating

“Hot Ideas in old San Antone” with the latest intechnologies and methods. Survey more than

500 technical presentations and over 300 exhibitsdisplaying state-of-the-art products and services

for the geophysical industry.

SEG 2007 International Exposition andSeventy-Seventh Annual Meeting

As has become tradition the SEG Forum Serieswill be the lead program. This year’s program is:Energy Future: Unconventional ResourcesHigh oil and gas prices bring new, unusual resources into the geophysical limelight. Developmentof energy reservoirs once considered research department follies are now appearing on explorationbudgets, sometimes dominating them. How will petroleum companies, service companies, andgovernments make the transition? What expertise, techniques, and equipment will be needed inthe future? A panel of top executives representing these groups will discuss changes they foreseein the world of geophysics as the focus of exploration and development shifts from poroussandstones and limestones to gas hydrates, fractured shales, tar sands, hydrothermal, and otherunconventional resources. This year’s panel will feature:�Steven C. Dixon executive vice president, Operations and chief operating officer of Chesapeake Energy

Corporation�J. M. Masset senior vice president, Exploration and Reservoir in the Total group�Sverre Strandenes is group president, Data Processing and Technology for Petroleum Geo-

Services ASA (PGS)�Ray Boswell manager R&D programs in natural gas hydrates at the U.S. Department of Energy’s

National Energy Technology Laboratory�Bob Tippee will be the panel moderator. He is the editor of the Oil & Gas Journal

� Advance RegistrationOpens – 10 July 2007

� Housing ReservationOpens – 10 July 2007

For more information or to receive a 2007 SEG San Antonio AnnualMeeting Announcement, contact:

Phone: +1-918-497-5539Fax: +1-918-497-5552Email: meetings@seg.org

www.seg.org

Be Empowered: Set Your Password

AUGUST 2007

The following candidates have submittedapplications for membership in the Association.

This does not constitute election, but places thenames before the membership at large.

Any information bearing on the qualifications ofthese candidates should be sent promptly to theExecutive Committee, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Okla.74101. (Names of sponsors are placed inparentheses. Reinstatements indicated do notrequire sponsors.)

Membership applications are available atwww.aapg.org, or by contacting headquarters inTulsa.

For Active Membership

CaliforniaOrndorff, Harold A., Aera Energy, Bakersfield (K.L.Pitts, J.R. Schwalbach Jr., D.M. Miner)

KansasClark, George R., Kansas State University,Manhattan (M. Hubbard, C. Oviatt, P.C. Twiss)

New YorkHill, Barbara M., consulting geologist, Liverpool(reinstate)

TexasBoedeker, Jennifer Savickas, Schlumberger,Houston (J.M. Wilson, H.L. Buscher, J.N.Vogt); Daal,Julieta Josefina, IHS, Houston (E. Guevara, F. Bello,E. Moldovanyi); Kapitan-White, Elsa K.,Schlumberger, Sugar Land (G.M. Gillis, K.S. Glaser,W.D. Riser); Makhonin, Alexey, ExxonMobil Corp.,Houston (T. Apotria, J.C. Tingey, C.J. Lopez);Roeling, Barbara O., Daniel B. Stephens &Associates, Austin (K.S. Hopson, M.A. Jacobs, R.W.Ruggiero); Saudale, Ellya, Schlumberger, Houston(R.J. Amstadt, R.A. James, W.W. Xu); Zahm,Christopher Kent, the University of Texas at Austin,Houston (S.W. Tinker, F.J. Lucia, E.C Potter)

UtahCarney, Stephanie M., Utah Geological Survey, SaltLake City (T.C. Chidsey Jr., C.D. Morgan, D.E. Tabet)

WyomingMellinger, Kurt, ConocoPhillips, Cody (reinstate)

AlgeriaMokhtari, Nasser, Sonatrach Exploration,Boumerdes (J.C. Lorenz, S.P. Cooper, R. Bracene)

AustraliaLund, David Gerard, Oil Search Ltd., Sydney (K.C.Hill, R. Heidorn, G.M. Bradley); O’Leary, RobinPatrick, Origin Energy, Brisbane (R.J. Suttill, G.J.Kemp, D.C. Lowry)

BangladeshAkhtaruzzaman, Md, Petrobangla, Dhaka (G.R.Taylor, S.R. Lawrence, A. Wilcockson)

CanadaFreeman, Michael Edward, Belloy PetroleumConsulting Ltd., Calgary (D.L. Oicle, B.A. Fyke, R.K.Sullivan); Orr, Lindsay L., Enerplus Resources Fund,Calgary (L.A. Griffith, K.G. Root, C. Steudler);Watson, Raymond Neil, Husky Energy, Calgary (I.K.Sinclair, E. Scott, C F. Lamb)

EnglandLee, Peter Gerard, Chevron, London (D.E. Lawton,C.E. Fordham, P.P. Roberson); Rebata Hernani,Luisa Amparo, Badley Ashton & Associates,Horncastle (K.R. Adamson, M. Ashton, D.M.Bliefnick)

GermanyLuning, Sebastian, RWE Dea AG, Hamburg (J.D.Smewing, D.R.D. Boote, S. Johnsen)

GreeceTassos, Stavros T., National Observatory of Athens,Glyfada (G. Lunde, K. Gerdes, S. Johnsen)

IndiaRoy, Ananda Shankar, Baker Atlas, NAVI MUMBAI(G.U. Das, A.A. Bal, S. Sanyal)

People’s Republic of ChinaLongzhang, Wang, China University of Geosciences,Wuhan (S. Li, J. Ren, H. Zongquan)

PortugalSantos, Fernando Monteiro, University of Lisbon,Lisbon (H. Matias, P.R. Kress, J.R.V. Brooks)

United Arab EmiratesLucas, Noel Billote, Halliburton, Abu Dhabi (W.H.Abbott, E.V. Tamesis, K.J. Wells) �

51

A graph on Utah’s cumulative gas production curve for the eastern Uinta Basin thatwas published in the July EXPLORER (page 14) included incorrect information. Thecorrected graph, showing cumulative gas measured in BCF, is published here.

AUGUST 2007

TrainingI am a long-retired geologist, once

chief explorationist for Texaco with a 32-year career in the oil business, and Ihave been noticing over recent yearsthat the study of geology in a universitysetting is suffering more each passingyear.

The rationale for this is that industryhas an ever-lessening demand forgeologists, which has resulted in anever-shrinking pool of new students inthis science.

My experience over my 85 years tellsme that geologic training has preparedme not only for understanding geologicphenomena and their imprint on lookingfor oil, but also for an understanding ofother sciences and for the beauties ofnature. And beyond that, it conditionedme to expect the unexpected, to dealwith serious uncertainties and to makedecisions that required leaps ofjudgment beyond what was factual.

Geologic training is unique among thesciences because it touches on all of thenatural sciences and requires thestudent to relate all such evidence as itappears in nature. Making decisionsunder uncertainty, with the attendantoccasional failures stemming both fromlack of needed data andmisinterpretation of the existingevidence, has given me a talent ofsignificant value in the business world.The willingness to act before the bulk ofpertinent evidence is at hand provides atimely advantage over competitors.

Competent, traditional geologicaltraining at the academic level, when thefocus was on thinking out the solutionagainst a background of rigoroustraining in the science, has producedindependent geologic thinkers fordecades. My experience with hundredsof explorationists has led me to seek outsuch individuals with preference overmore “technically” trained candidates.

The country needs more of suchscientists, both in industry andacademia.

Richard B. PalmerBurlington, N.C.

Pay UpFor many, many decades the oil

geologist has been severely, seriouslyUNDERPAID relative to many, manyprofessions and industries. During thesedecades the world has thrived on cheapoil and commodity assets of all types.

Underlying the delivery of thesebenefits to the world, at this cheapcommodity “party,” have been ourpeople – the ones with imaginations, skilland training to find, produce, transport,refine and deliver oil and gas to society.

The cheap oil and gas commodity“party” is clearly over. The time for “ourpeople” to severely, seriously thrive isNOW.

It is also time that our AAPGleadership stopped with the platitudesabout “serving mankind’s needs,” etc.,when talking about AAPG geologists andthe role that they serve in society. Whatthey need to do is to start beating anangry drum with oil companymanagements, politicians and WallStreet, etc., that experienced oilgeologists are “scarcer than hen’s teeth,”and you don’t just graduate them out ofschool and turn them into oil finders.

Minimum base salaries for 15-plusyears experienced people need to be inthe $500,000 to $1 million range. As anindustry, (engineers, geophysicists, oilfield hands in general), we are stillgrossly underpaid relative to: The dotcom punks, Silicon Valley as a whole, theWall Street crowd (Goldman Sachs split$16.5 billion in bonuses in 2006 – giveme a break), the lawyers, theentertainment industry and so on.

Our oil industry leadership needs toquit apologizing to the Chuck Schumer’s,the Chris Dodd’s, Katie Couric, BillO’Reilly, Meredith Viera, etc., ad naseum,for being who and what we are.

What our industry leaders need to sayis real simple:

“Get down on your hands and kneesand give real thanks that extremely smartmen and women deliver to your cornergas station, to your house, to themanufacturing system that you needevery day to live in a civilized society. Wedo it cheaply, (even at $90/oil – getready, it’s a fair price), we do it safelyand we do it as efficiently as it can bedone.”

I have no doubt the lack ofexperienced real oil finders is holdingback E&P projects around the world tosome very measurable degree. Thetrained, experienced personnel are justnot available – and the ones that areavailable need to be properlycompensated.

Bradford R. SchmalfussHouston

52

MULTIPLE HIRES IN ENERGY—SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT, AND POLICY RESEARCH

The Jackson School is building a premier education and research program in Energy—Science, Environmentand Policy Research. We seek scientists at the forefront of their disciplines attracted to challenging areas ofscholarship that require collaboration across disciplines and programs. We seek to address compellingquestions within the broad theme of determining how we can create an energy future that is sustainableand environmentally and economically robust. These questions include, but are not limited to:

• How can we integrate classically separated disciplines (geomechanics, geochemistry, tectonics, stratigraphy, petrophysics, geophysical imaging, regional/basin scale studies) to advance interrelationships at the forefront of energy and environmental science?

• How do fluid-rock interactions and the interplay between mechanical and chemical processes influence fluid flow and storage in the subsurface?

• How can we improve identification and recovery of energy resources by comprehensive integration of information at all scales, integrated numerical modeling, and innovative automated and continuous monitoring?

• Can we solve the compelling environmental issues associated with the extraction and use of fossil fuel energy sources, including water and land use, and carbon sequestration?

• Can we develop energy policies founded on solid scientific and engineering information and innovativeapproaches that will simultaneously promote environmental stewardship and energy security?

Over the next three years we will hire six or more faculty and scientists who complement our existingstrengths. We are interested in a wide variety of research areas ranging from rock/fluid systems, subsurfacesensing, tectono-stratigraphy, carbon management, energy economics and policy, basin-scale analysis andmodeling, and resource and reserve geoinformatics. We also encourage applications from innovative scientists in other areas related to energy—science, environment and policy.

Opportunities exist at any level, and can be within or in combination with any Jackson School Unit—theDepartment of Geological Sciences, the Bureau of Economic Geology, or the Institute for Geophysics. The schedule of appointment is also negotiable.

C H A N G I N G T H E W O R L D O F G E O S C I E N C E S

MULTIPLE HIRES IN EARTH SURFACE AND HYDROLOGIC PROCESSES

The Jackson School is building a premier education and research program in Earth Surface and HydrologicProcesses. We seek outstanding scientists at the forefront of their disciplines who are attracted to challenging areas of scholarship that require collaboration across disciplines and programs. We seek toaddress compelling questions in surface and hydrologic processes within the broad theme of determininghow surface and hydrologic processes are influenced by their dynamic setting at the interface of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. These questions include:

• How do climate, ice sheets, and tectonics interact to define the distribution and character of sea level change?

• How do coastal zone geology, biology, biogeochemistry, and hydrology respond to surficial processes, particularly to sea level change?

• What are the impacts of climate variability/change and land use change on water, nutrient, and sediment cycles?

• What is the integrated result of the interplay between tectonic deformation, climate change,and biota on the Earth’s surface and on the supply, distribution, and storage of sediments?

• What are the physical, chemical, ecological processes and social forces that will determine the sustainability of our water resources?

Over the next three years, we will hire six or more faculty and scientists who complement our existingstrengths. We are interested in a range of research areas from quantitative geomorphology to hydrologic-biologic interactions to societal impacts and resource sustainability, and capabilities rangingfrom modeling landscape dynamics to remote sensing, shallow environmental geophysics, aerogeophysics,and monitoring groundwater and coastal systems. We also encourage innovative scientists in other areasrelated to surface and hydrologic processes to apply. Opportunities exist at any level and within any JacksonSchool Unit—the Department of Geological Sciences, the Bureau of Economic Geology, or the Institute forGeophysics. The schedule of appointment is also negotiable.

Ph.D. is minimum requirement for application. Send inquiries and applications (cover letter, CV, list of publications, list of references, statements of teaching and/or research interests) to: Office of the Dean /Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin / PO Box B, University Station / Austin, TX 78713. The University of Texas at Austin is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

continued on next page

Editor’s note: Letters to the editorshould include your name andaddress and should be mailed toReaders’ Forum, c/o AAPGEXPLORER, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa,Okla. 74101, or fax (918) 560-2636;or e-mail to forum@aapg.org. Lettersmay be edited or held due to spacerestrictions.

Oh, Canada?Although I have a high regard for ALL

the elected officers in this last electionround (July EXPLORER), I find ittroublesome that the first elected vicepresident-Regions is from Canada.

If AAPG truly wants to become aninternational society it would be betterserved by having the initial candidatesfor this position come from outside NorthAmerica.

George KleinSugar Land, Texas

Time to ShiftRegarding your article “Hedberg

Views World Resources” (JanuaryEXPLORER): I am glad to see this storypublished. It is one of the duties of the

AAPG to publish the facts about thecoming oil plateau, which eventually willbe followed by a decline in the world oilproduction (see May EXPLORER).

The sooner an individual shifts her/hislifestyle to run off renewable energysources, the better for that person andeveryone else.

The sooner a city shifts its energydemands to be supplied by renewableenergy sources, the better for that city,and everyone else. The sooner that acivilization shifts to renewable energysources, the easier the transition torenewable energy sources will be foreveryone.

We don’t have to go flaming into anight of destruction, fighting over adiminishing fossil fuel supply, for Pete’sSake!

Heloise LynnHouston

AUGUST 2007

53

Department of Earth Science and Engineering

Lectureship/Senior Lectureship in Petroleum Geoscience/Earth Science

Minimum Lecturer salary £37,740 per annumMinimum Senior Lecturer salary: £46,560 per annum

Imperial College is ranked in the top ten universities of the world, according to the2006 Times Higher Education Supplement league tables.

The Department of Earth Science and Engineering is seeking dynamic, enthusiasticand highly-qualified applicants for a new Lectureship/Senior Lectureship in PetroleumGeoscience/Earth Science. You should possess a PhD (or equivalent) in geology,geophysics, or other relevant branches of earth science, such as sedimentology,structural geology or basin analysis. A proven record of successful research with agood publications record is highly desirable. Experience in the oil and gas industrywould be helpful, but not essential.

You will be expected to undertake and lead a high-quality research programmewithin petroleum geoscience/earth science, such as carbonate or clasticsedimentology, basin analysis, reservoir characterisation, 3D seismic interpretation,fault/fracture analysis and petrophysics. You will also be expected to teach on thedepartment's MSc course in Petroleum Geoscience and its undergraduateGeoscience degree course and to contribute to departmental administration.

The Department received the highest possible rating, 5*(A), in the most recent (2001)RAE. You will be attached to the Petroleum Geoscience and Engineering Sectionwithin the Department, which is an internationally-recognised centre of excellencein sedimentology, basin analysis, reservoir geology, structural geology, fracture analysis, reservoir simulation, well-test analysis and rock mechanics.

The post will be permanent and full-time and is available immediately.

Further details of the departmental research activities may be found athttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/earthscienceandengineering Informal enquiries may bedirected to Professor Howard Johnson (Head of the Petroleum Geoscience andEngineering Section). h.d.johnson@imperial.ac.uk

A job description, further particulars and an application form can be obtained from:http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/employment/academic.

Five copies of the completed application form (with curriculum vitae and the namesand contact details of three referees) should be sent to Darakshan Khan, Imperial College London, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Room 303, Bessemer Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ. Email d.khan@imperial.ac.uk tel: +44 (0) 20 7594 6775. Please quote ref:ESE\PetrolGeosci on all correspondence.

Closing date: 1 November 2007.

Valuing diversity and committed to equality of opportunity

15 years of recent industry experience in the South Texas

Lobo and Perdido Trend in Zapata County, strong seismic

mapping and geologic skills, understanding of stratigraphic

geophysics, strong computer skills including 3D workstation and interpretation experience (SMT systems preferable),

seismic modeling experience (Hampson and Russell) and

experience working with AVO data, ability to work

independently, and with logs and Petra geologic software,

ability to work in a team environment, and a strong work ethic.

Minimum Qualifications:

�Focus Area: S. Texas Lobo and Perdido, Zapata County

�Competitive Salary and Bonus Structure

�ORRI’s, Excellent Benefits

�Location: Downtown Houston

�Make a Difference & Share in the Reward

Please forward resumes, work history and references by email to:

John Hastings (jhastings@palomaresources.com)

Position Available: Senior Explorationist

continued from previous page

POSITION AVAILABLE

Research Petroleum Geologist (Geologist IV)Kentucky Geological Survey

University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

The Kentucky Geological survey, a research centerof the University of Kentucky, invites applications fora position in petroleum geology. Experience insubsurface geologic, geochemical, andgeophysical interpretations is needed.Responsibilities will include research onhydrocarbon reservoirs and production, EOR in theAppalachian and Illinois Basins, and carbonsequestration. The successful candidate will be ableto develop new research programs andcommunicate scientific results in presentations,reports, and publications. A record of successfulgrant funding is preferred. Qualifications are Ph.D.in a geoscience discipline and three yearsexperience or M.S. and equivalent industry oracademic experience. Annual salary ranges from$55,000 to $90,000 depending on qualifications andexperience. Applicants must apply through theUniversity of Kentucky employment web site. Toapply for position #SM517657, submit a UK Onlineapplication at www.uky.edu/HR/UKjobs. If you haveany questions, contact HR/Employment, phone(859) 257-9555 press 2, or emailukjobs@email.uky.edu. Applications will beaccepted until the position is filled. The University ofKentucky offers an attractive benefits package andis an equal opportunity employer and encouragesapplications from minorities and women.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

U.S. Geological Survey MendenhallPostdoctoral Research Fellowship Program

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) invitesapplications for the Mendenhall PostdoctoralResearch Fellowship Program for Fiscal Year 2009.The Mendenhall Program provides opportunities toconduct research in association with selectedmembers of the USGS professional staff. Throughthis Program the USGS will acquire current expertisein science to assist in implementation of the sciencestrategy of its programs. Fiscal Year 2009 begins inOctober 2008.

Opportunities for research are available in a widerange of topics. The postdoctoral fellowships are 2-year appointments. The closing date forapplications is November 9, 2007. Appointments willstart October 2008 or later, depending on availabilityof funds. A description of the program, researchopportunities, and the application process areavailable at http://geology.usgs.gov/postdoc. TheU.S. Geological Survey is an equal opportunityemployer.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Senior Geologist: Houston,TX. Apply geologicalconcepts to maximize rate and reserves profiles for

the Cleveland reservoir. Ensure high quality andtimely geoscience support for reservoirmanagement. Work with onshore tight gasreservoirs and horizontal well planning. Use seismicinterpretation software to interpret seismic data andincorporate seismic attributes for enhancedhorizontal well placement. Generate regional as wellas field scale structural, net-reservoir and net-paymaps. Generate 3D static geological models(s)applying subsurface data integration skills to ensureall well data, 3D & 2D seismic interpretations andrelevant production data are incorporated into 3Dstatic geological model(s) on a regular basis for theCleveland reservoir. Evaluate and integrate well logdata with geological settings and well productivity.Provide wellbore image log interpretation, formationwell log evaluation and core to log calibration aswell as wellsite log acquisition quality control asneeded. Provide geological support to wellsite staffand drilling engineers in high pace drilling rigoperations. Requires B.Sc. in Geology plus 5 yearsof post-baccalaureate, progressively responsibleexperience as a Geologist including experience withonshore tight gas reservoirs, horizontal well planningand seismic interpretation. Contact BP America Inc.,501 Westlake Park Blvd., Houston, TX 77079 viaemail resume to Lois.Wilcox@bp.com, cc:Ron.Echols@bp.com. EOE.

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

BOOKS. Rare and out-of-print books andperiodicals on geology and related sciences. Largestock on all phases of the oil industry, domestic andforeign covering geology, history, engineering,logging, geophysics, etc. Catalogs available. TheHannum Company. Box 1505-B, Ardmore, OK73402. info@hannum.cc

MISCELLANEOUS

SAMPLES TO RENT

International Sample Library @ Midland –formerly Midland Sample Library. Established in1947. Have 164,000 wells with 1,183,000,000 wellsamples and cores stored in 17 buildings from 26states, Mexico, Canada and offshore Australia. Wealso have a geological supply inventory.

Phone: (432) 682-2682 Fax: (432) 682-2718

CLASSIFIED ADS

You can reach about 30,000 petroleumgeologists at the lowest per-reader cost in theworld with a classified ad in the EXPLORER.Ads are at the rate of $2.10 per word, minimum

charge of $42. And, for an additional $50, your adcan appear on the classified section on theAAPG web site. Your ad can reach more peoplethan ever before.Just write out your ad and send it to us. We will

call you with the word count and cost. You canthen arrange prepayment. Ads received by the firstof the month will appear in the subsequent edition.

By RICK FRITZOn the concept of “discovery,” Sir

Issac Newton was quoted to say that, “If Ihave ever made any valuable discoveries,it has been owing more to patient attentionthan to any other talent.”

“Patient attention” is a good descriptionto my personal early summer activities.

This year, a group of moms and dadsformed the first official “all-girls” LittleLeague Baseball team in Tulsa. The girls,all aged six to seven, selected pink andblue-gray uniforms and then decided thatall the coaches should wear hot pinkT-shirts.

Because it is a “first,” the team hasdrawn some attention from the Tulsamedia, and during their last game thelocal CBS affiliate did a special intereststory and filmed part of the game.

I know they say that TV puts weight onyou, but since I was dressed in a hot pinkT-shirt it added about 250 pounds on me. Ialso get a lot of stares in the parking lot.

It has been great fun and I havediscovered a lot about my daughter. The“Lady Cougars” have developed afollowing – now the bleachers are full offans in hot pink.

Discovery is a great process!

* * *

During June, I spent some “discoverytime” visiting members. Traveling andvisiting with members is one of the bestparts of my job.

� First, I visited Texas for the Houston

House of Delegates year-end dinner andgave an update on AAPG activities for thepast year at the invitation of MartinCassidy, chair of the Houston HoDdelegates.

This is a dedicated group of membersthat meets each month (except forsummer) to review new memberapplications. AAPG has one of thestrongest peer review systems ofprofessional societies and I always enjoywatching the process work. We appreciateall of those dedicated members who helpwith the membership process.

� Immediately after the HoD meeting Imade a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,and on to New Delhi, India, with then-AAPG President Lee Billingsley and hiswife (and AAPG’s “first lady”), Joanne.

Both of these countries have a highnumber of new and potentially new AAPGmembers, and the primary purpose of thetrip was to build relationships andestablish the foundation for new services.

In Kuala Lumpur we met with

representatives from the GeologicalSociety of Malaysia (GSM). The newpresident of GSM is Director GeneralYunus Abdul Razak, who is the head ofthe Mineral and Geoscience Departmentof Malaysia. We also met with the pastpresident of GSM, Lee Chai Peng.

This is a very active group ofgeoscientists that represent government,academia and industry.

We also met with several Petronasgeoscientists to discuss AAPG services.

While in Kuala Lumpur we attended thefirst committee meeting for theInternational Petroleum TechnologyConference, which will be held for the firsttime in Malaysia in December 2008.

This will be the first joint meeting inSoutheast Asia among AAPG, EAGE, SEGand SPE. SPE is the organizer of theconference.

� From Kuala Lumpur, we flew directlyto New Delhi and received a warmwelcome from representatives of theAssociation of Petroleum Geologists (APG)

in India. This is an active growing group ofgeoscientists.

Dr. James Peters, GM-Basin Managerwith ONGC was our host in India, alongwith Dr. P.N. Kapoor.

On our last day in India, Lee, Joanneand I had the opportunity to makepresentations to the APG and APG’spatron director D.K. Pande with ONGC.Before the presentations we had theprivilege of meeting with the board of APGled by APG President Dr. Jokhan Ram,also with ONGC.

We discussed joint ventures includingworkshops, Hedberg conferences and apotential new GEO conference.

It was a very productive meeting andwe look forward to working with APG andONGC in the future. We especially thankDirector Pande for his vision of how APGand AAPG can work together.

* * *

Albert Camus, a French author andphilosopher, said that “You cannot createexperience – you must undergo it!”

Certainly, this is true of AAPG and ourindustry. The people and networking partof our profession is the essence todiscovery and future growth.

By J.L. RENNERFor many of you the next statement

may be a surprise: Geothermal energy isused to produce electricity in 24countries.

Leading the way with the largestgeothermal capacity is the United States(2,544 megawatts electric, or “MWe”),followed by the Philippines (1,931 MWe),Mexico (953 MWe), Indonesia (797MWe) and Italy (791 MWe) (Bertani,2005).

When Chevron purchased Unocal itbecame the leading producer ofgeothermal energy worldwide withprojects in Indonesia and the Philippines.

The U.S. geothermal industry isbooming thanks to:

� Increasing energy prices.� Renewable portfolio standards.� A production tax credit.California (2,244 MWe) is the leading

producer, followed by Nevada (243MWe), Utah (26 MWe) and Hawaii (30MWe) (Bertani, 2005).

Alaska joined the producing statesduring 2006 with two 0.2 MWe powerplants placed online at Chena HotSprings. The plant uses 30 liters persecond of 75-degree C water fromshallow wells. Power production isassisted by the availability of gravity fed,7-degree C cooling water(http://www.yourownpower.com/).

And a 13 MWe binary power plant isexpected to begin production in the fallof 2007 at Raft River in southeasternIdaho.

Idaho also is a leader in direct use ofgeothermal energy with the state capitalbuilding and several other state andBoise city as well as commercial andresidential buildings heated using fluidsfrom several interconnected geothermalsystems.

* * *

Existing U.S. plants focus on high-grade geothermal systems located inthe West.

Interest in non-traditional geothermaldevelopment, however, is increasing.

For example, a comprehensive newMIT-led study of the potential forgeothermal energy within the UnitedStates predicts that mining the hugeamounts of stored thermal energy in theearth’s crust not associated withhydrothermal systems could supply asubstantial portion – 100,000 MWe – of

U.S. electricity by 2050with minimalenvironmental impact(Tester, et al., 2006,available athttp://geothermal.inl.gov).

There also is renewedinterest in geothermalproduction from othernon-traditional sources,such as the over-pressured zones in theGulf Coast and warmwater co-produced withoil and gas.

Southern Methodist Universityrecently hosted a conference ongeothermal utilization associated withpetroleum development. Detailsconcerning the conference and thespeakers’ presentations are available athttp://www.smu.edu/geothermal.

Ormat Technologies, a majorgeothermal company, recently acquiredgeothermal leases in one of the offshoreover-pressured zones of Texas. Ormatand the Rocky Mountain Oilfield TestingCenter (RMOTC) recently announcedplans to jointly produce geothermalpower from co-produced water from theTeapot Dome oilfield.

RMOTC estimates that 300 KWecapacity is available for geothermaldevelopment from the 40,000 BWPD of88-degree C water associated with oilproduction from the Tensleep Sandstone(Milliken, 2007).

The Energy Policy Act of 2005

modified leasing provisions and royaltyrates for both geothermal electricalproduction and direct use. Pursuant tothe legislation the Bureau of LandManagement (BLM) and MineralsManagement Service MMS) publishedfinal regulations for continuedgeothermal leasing, operations androyalty collection in the Federal Register(Vol. 72, No. 84 Wednesday May 2,2007, BLM p. 24358-24446, MMS p.24448-24469).

* * *

Several Web sites periodically offerupdated information related to thegeothermal industry and the legislationand regulation affecting geothermaldevelopment. That includes:

� The Geothermal EnergyAssociation publishes the “GEA Update”semimonthly and also summaries ofexisting geothermal projects andprojects under development in theUnited States at http://www.geo-energy.org (see “Publications” and“Information” on their home page).

� The Nevada Division of Mineralsperiodically publishes the “NevadaGeothermal Update” and statistical dataon geothermal development in Nevadaat http://minerals.state.nv.us/forms/forms_ogg.htm.

(Editor’s note: Renner, chair of EMD’sGeothermal Committee, is with the IdahoNational Laboratory in Idaho Falls.) �

54

AUGUST 2007

Summer Begins With Discoveries

Non-Traditional Interest Increasing

Interest in Geothermal Heats Up

Fritz

Renner

Texas, Malaysia, India –Traveling and visiting withmembers is one of the bestparts of my job.

AUGUST 2007

55

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