Annual report 2002 11 - University of Texas at Austin

Bureau ofEconomicGeology

Director

Scott W. Tinker

Associate Directors

Eric C. Potter, EnergyJay A. Raney, EnvironmentDouglas C. Ratcliff, Administration

Research and Administrative Office

and Laboratories

J. J. Pickle Research Campus10100 Burnet RoadAustin, Texas 78758-4445(512) 471-1534, Switchboard(512) 471-0320, Public Information(512) 471-0140, Fax(512) 471-7144, Publication Sales1-888-839-4365, Toll-free phone (USA)1-888-839-6277, Toll-free fax (USA)

Mailing address

The University of Texas at AustinUniversity Station, Box XAustin, Texas 78713-8924

Website: www.beg.utexas.edu

Technical editing

Sylvia J. Jennette

Photography

David M. Stephens

Editing and production coordination

Susann Doenges

Design, layout, and cover

Jamie H. Coggin

Contents

1 2002 News at the Bureau

5 Basic and Applied Research

13 Public Outreach and Education

15 Public Information Resources

16 Bureau Finances and Staff

Cover image: Bureau of Economic Geology page-sized map, Vegetation/Cover Typesof Texas, merged with shaded digital elevation model prepared by John R. Andrews.

Shaded relief map of Mexico on page 3 courtesy of The General Libraries,The University of Texas at Austin.

Bureau of Economic Geology

Director ’s MessagePerhaps we have turned a corner this year. To be sure, ourchallenges are great, but a sense of health, camaraderie, andpride prevail. It’s nice to see. Bureau folks move around Texasand the globe with confident efficiency. Just a week ago wehad a high-level visitor in town. I was frustrated to find manypeople out of the office—London, Calgary, Midland, Poza Rica,Houston, The Hague, Galveston, Saudi Arabia—until I realizedthat is exactly where they should be, out there doing science,making an impact on our state and our world.

So many good things this year. The addition of a major newcore facility in Houston owing to the generous gift from BP,highlighted by a visit from Lord John Browne of Madingley,BP’s chairman and chief executive officer. High-impact studiescompleted and continuing in Mexico, highlighted by a visitfrom PEMEX Director General Ing. Raúl Muñoz Leos. By allaccounts, one of the best GCAGS meetings ever held—runlargely by folks from the BEG. Top young talent joining ourranks from some of the premier universities. Solid founda-tions being laid for the Jackson School future. Broad-basedfunding spread across Federal, State, and private sources.

I am now beginning to understand and define my own role abit better, and it can be summed up by one word—education.My day consists of a steady stream of electronic, spoken,written, and silent communication, all with the express intentof exchanging information to achieve some form of education.I either educate, or am educated by, people from othercountries and companies, Federal and State employees,colleagues within the academic community, associates withinthe University, friends at the Bureau, my graduate students, ormy four kids at home. Franklin Roosevelt said, “The realsafeguard of democracy . . . is education.” If my year isrepresentative, democracy is stronger than ever!

One of the passions that I have developed in the 3 years thatI have been at the Bureau is to educate everyone who willlisten as to the necessity of the conjunctive associationbetween the three E’s: energy and environment and economy.These are not mutually exclusive choices, as representedbroadly by the media. They are mutually inclusive. Balancingthe sensitive relationship between energy, environment, andeconomy worldwide is the great challenge for the 21st century.

The time is now for the best minds—those at the Bureau andelsewhere in the world—to address the critical issues requiredto make the transition smoothly from a global economy thatruns on coal and oil to one that runs on natural gas, andeventually hydrogen. Solutions will include energy andenvironmental and economic understanding at all levels,including sequestration of greenhouse gases. The Bureau willbe there, and our global understanding will be broughthome to impact Texas and Texans.

The year ahead promises new insights, challenges, andfriendships. Let’s get after it!

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Left to right: The University ofTexas at Austin President Larry R.Faulkner, Lord John Browne, andBureau Director Scott W. Tinker.

Annual Report 2002 1

Core Research Center has more than224,000 boxes of core and 275,000 boxesof cuttings housed in 45,500 ft2 ofwarehouse space.

The Houston Research Center, locatedat 11611 West Little York in westHouston, is open Monday throughFriday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additionalinformation can be obtained by callingthe center directly at 713-466-8346.A searchable list of all the materialcurrently stored in the facility canbe found on the Bureau’s Website(http://www.beg.utexas.edu/crc/houston.htm).

2002 News at the Bureau

Houston Research Center

The Bureau has acquired a world-classcore and sample repository in Houston,Texas. This facility was part of a majordonation to The University of Texas atAustin by BP America that was an-nounced in August during a visit to theUniversity by Lord John Browne ofMadingley, BP chairman and CEO. Thegift has a value of $7 million (land,buildings, cash). The facility containsapproximately 450,000 boxes of sam-ples and cores, almost all of which wereobtained as a result of exploration foroil and gas. The building includes mod-ern core examination rooms (withroller tables and excellent lighting),office and laboratory space, and a con-ference room with ceiling-mountedprojectors. All interior space, includingthe warehouse, is air-conditioned. Theoperational costs for the first yearwere covered by a grant from the U.S.Department of Energy. Efforts are

under way to establish an endowment of$10 million to operate the facility in fu-ture years, and BP America has providedthe first contribution of $1.5 million.

In addition to use by geologists in theoil and gas exploration business, thisfacility is expected to be used by thosestudying water resources, soil stability,and other issues associated with theEarth’s subsurface. The Bureau alsointends to establish a K–12 outreach pro-gram in the new facility, which willprovide Houston area youths opportuni-ties to study geology and earth science.

The Bureau has maintained and oper-ated core and sample repositories formore than 70 years in the State ofTexas. In addition to the new Houstonfacility, the Bureau operates two otherfacilities. The Austin Core ResearchCenter currently houses more than390,000 boxes of core and 311,000boxes of cuttings in a 95,000-ft2 build-ing constructed in 1984. The Midland

New Bookby PeterFlawnChroniclesBureau“Near-History”

President Emeritus of The Universityof Texas at Austin and former BureauDirector Peter T. Flawn has written andpublished a book titled Texas Geologistand the Bureau of Economic Geology,1949–1970, wherein he recalls, amongmany things, his early days in thefield in West Texas, dealings with theDepartment of Geological Sciences atThe University of Texas at Austin,and his decade as Bureau Director.With humor and insight, Flawnvividly recalls people and places thatinfluenced his career in Texas and histenure as State Geologist. Flawn’s storyof the practice of geology at the StateSurvey during the latter part of themid-century will appeal to geologistsand those interested in the historyof the times. The 182-page book (2002)is sold through the Bureau’s officeof Publication Sales.

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Bureau of Economic Geology2

John A. and Katherine G.Jackson School of Geosciences

The Jackson Schoolof Geosciences at TheUniversity of Texas atAustin was establishedin 2001 by The Uni-versity of Texas Boardof Regents and namedin honor of Mr. Jack-

son and his late wife. A major gift by Mr.and Mrs. Jackson made possible the forma-tion of this interdepartmental school thatpromises to become one of the leadinggeoscience education and research centersin the world. Former Bureau DirectorWilliam L. Fisher is Director of the school.The Jackson School will promote excel-lence in teaching and research in geology;geophysics; energy, mineral, and waterresources; as well as the broad areas of theearth sciences, including the Earth’senvironment. The new Jackson Schoolunites the Bureau of Economic Geologywith the Department of GeologicalSciences and the Institute for Geophysicsat The University of Texas at Austin,supporting greater collaborative researchand teaching between these organizations.

Bureau Director Scott W. Tinker sits onthe Executive Committee of the school, andhe and Doug Ratcliff, Bureau AssociateDirector, sit on the Steering Committee.Eight Bureau scientists have joined theGraduate Studies Committee of theDepartment of Geological Sciences andcan now serve as graduate-student super-visors: Alan Dutton, Bob Hardage, MartinJackson, Charles Kerans, Stephen Laubach,Jerry Lucia, Bridget Scanlon, and LesliWood. With support from the JacksonSchool, Lesli Wood co-taught the graduatecourse in Basin Analysis with Bill Gallowayof the Department in the 2002 springsemester. Three senior research scientistsat the Bureau—Martin Jackson, CharlesKerans, and Bridget Scanlon—were namedJackson School Fellows for the 2002–2003academic year. These annual appoint-ments are among the first endowed fellow-ships ever awarded to research scientistsat The University of Texas at Austin.

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New Research Horizons

The Bureau is building on the founda-tion of our current strengths to developresearch initiatives in topics related toenergy and environmental studies.Chief among these are collaborationswith researchers and professorsin our sister units of the John A.and Katherine G. Jackson School ofGeosciences (JSG). We are now plan-ning innovative studies in such impor-

tant issues as hydrogeology, airbornegeophysics, fluid-rock seismic technol-ogy, linked mechanical and chemicalprocesses in sedimentary basins, andother topics of significance that maybe selected to become pillars of theresearch program of the JSG. We alsohope to expand our current studies re-lated to the geologic sequestration ofgreenhouse gases and basic researchconducted through our IndustrialAssociates consortia, including salt,

Awards

It is always a pleasure to make note of Bureau staffwho receive awards and honors during the year.William Fisher received several prestigiousawards, including the 2002 Don R. Boyd Medalfor Excellence in Gulf Coast Geology fromthe Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies(GCAGS). He is also one of three recipients of the2002 University of Texas Presidential Citation andwas honored by the Texas Independent Producersand Royalty Owners Association with the Hats Off!Award. Scott Tinker was named the Edwin AlldayChair in Subsurface Geology in the Departmentof Geological Sciences at The University of Texasat Austin and received a Distinguished ServiceAward from the West Texas Geological Society.Doug Ratcliff received a Distinguished ServiceAward from GCAGS for his many contributionsover the years to the society. Stephen Ruppel wasawarded the American Association of PetroleumGeologists Wallace E. Pratt Memorial Award forhis paper titled “Contrasting Styles in ReservoirDevelopment in Proximal and Distal ChertFacies: Devonian Thirtyone Formation, Texas.”Shinichi Sakurai was awarded the Society ofProfessional Well Log Analysts (SPWLA) 2002 BestPoster Award for his presentation at the 2002SPWLA Annual Symposium in Oiso, Japan, titled“Petrophysical Evaluation of Miocene-PlioceneGas Reservoirs: Veracruz and Macuspana Basins,Mexico.” Bob Hardage received Input/Output’s“Multi-Component Technology Pioneer” award,which recognizes individuals who have madesignificant contributions to the seismic industry.

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Annual Report 2002

Keynotes Lectures

Each year, Bureau scientists dissemi-nate research results around the globethrough invited lectures and keynoteaddresses. Bureau Director Scott Tinkerwas invited to speak at the PlenarySession of the U.S. Department ofEnergy’s Conference on Natural GasTechnology—Investment in a Healthy U.S.Energy Future in Houston, Texas. Healso gave the all-convention luncheonaddress at the Rocky Mountain Section/American Association of PetroleumGeologists (AAPG) meeting in Laramie,Wyoming, and was the keynote speakerat the ChevronTexaco Geology Forumin Galveston, Texas. Farther away fromhome, Tinker spoke at the 17th WorldPetroleum Congress in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, and delivered the keynote addressto the 11th Annual Venezuelan Geophysi-cal Congress in Caracas, Venezuela.Martin Jackson presented the FourthAnnual Robert E. Sheriff lecture at adinner meeting of the Universityof Houston Geosciences AlumniAssociation and the Houston GeologicalSociety Division of InternationalExplorationists. He also gave a keynotepaper at the First Marrakech Inter-national Oil and Gas Conference andExhibition in Morocco. David Jennette

was invited to participate in a deep-water turbidite reservoir workshoppreceding the annual meeting of theEuropean Association of Geoscientists& Engineers in Parma, Italy, and wasan invited lecturer at the Energy andMinerals Applied Research Center atthe University of Colorado Boulder andthe University of Wyoming. CharlesKerans toured Saudi Arabia, Oman,United Arab Emirates, Turkey, andKuwait in the spring as an AAPG Inter-national Distinguished Lecturer and wasan invited speaker at Rice University’sVail Fest, a symposium honoringstratigrapher Peter R. Vail in Houston.Robert Loucks was one of 18 Paleozoicexperts from around the world invitedto present their carbonate research at aconference sponsored by TotalFinaElf inPau, France, and was an invited speakerfor the Mississippi Geological Society2002 Spring Symposium in Jackson,Mississippi. He also delivered the key-note address at the Texas Alliance ofEnergy Producers conference in WichitaFalls, Texas, and presented a seminaron paleocave reservoirs at the AAPGSouthwest Section annual meeting.Bridget Scanlon gave a keynote addresson groundwater recharge at the annualNational Ground Water Associationmeeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

carbonate reservoirs, multicomponentseismic, fractures, deep-marine mar-gins, and environmental quality.

Major carbonate reservoir researchcontinues with ILRIS technology.Bureau researchers now have the capa-bility of acquiring 5-cm point-spaceddata from outcrop faces as much as1 km distant using ILRIS 3-D laserscanning. ILRIS data have served as thebasis for a method of constructingrealistic 3-D reservoir models using aseries of interpretation techniquessimilar to those used for interpret-ing horizons in a seismic data set.These horizons are then exported to ageocellular-mapping package. Research-ers in the Reservoir CharacterizationResearch Laboratory have completedinitial 3-D images of deepwater debrisflows at Victorio Canyon, Sierra Diablo,and a classic rudist reef complex at thePipe Creek outcrop, Central Texas.

Web-BasedEducational Modules

In 2002, the Bureau began work onthe next generation of educational,Web-based reservoir characterizationmodules in collaboration with theAmerican Geological Institute (AGI)and the American Association ofPetroleum Geologists (AAPG). The newseries, distributed by AAPG throughthe Interactive Online Learning pro-gram, focuses on carbonate reservoircharacterization with content fromBureau researchers. The new modulesare structured around real data setsand complement the first series,already online, which illustrates theprinciples of reservoir characterizationfor fluvial depositional environments.These interactive, game-theory-basedmodules allow students to interactwith geological, geophysical, andengineering data; make data inter-pretations; and then test their answersagainst the instructor’s. The modulesalso feature an evolved instructionalmodel and user interface.

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Delegates from Petroleos Mexicanos

(PEMEX), including PEMEX Director

General Ing. Raúl Muñoz Leos, visited the

Bureau in November to hear presentations

about joint Bureau-PEMEX research.

Muñoz Leos gave a public lecture titled

“PEMEX in the Decade Ahead” at the Bass Lecture Hall

on The University of Texas at Austin campus as part

of the Mexican Center’s “Distinguished Mexicans

in Texas” lecture series. He outlined the principal

challenges facing PEMEX today as the need to stem

the decline in known reserves through expanded

exploration, especially in natural gas, to increase

productivity and efficiency, and to improve the business

management and competitiveness of the organization.

PEMEX is the national oil and gas company of Mexico.

PEMEX Head Visits Bureau

Left to right:Ing. Luis Ramírez Corzo,PEMEX Director Generalof Exploration andProduction, Ing.Raúl Muñoz Leos,PEMEX DirectorGeneral, andScott W. Tinker,Bureau Director.


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2002 GCAGS Convention

The 52nd Gulf CoastAssociation of GeologicalSocieties (GCAGS) AnnualConvention was heldOctober 29–November 1

at the Austin Convention Center and theRadisson Hotel. Hosted by the AustinGeological Society, along with the Gulf CoastSection of SEPM and the Austin Chapter ofthe Society of Independent Professional

Earth Scientists,the meeting at-tracted more than1,400 people and60 exhibitors, ex-ceeding all expec-tations, to makeit a successfulconvention by all

accounts. In keeping with this year’stheme—Beyond the Horizon—GCAGSwelcomed the Asociación Mexicana deGeólogos Petroleros (AMGP) as a newmember society. Many Bureau employeescontributed tothe planning, or-ganization, andmanagement ofthe convention.Bureau AssociateDirector DougRatcliff served asGeneral Chairman and organized volunteersand resources on all fronts. A strong techni-cal program featuring 17 technical sessionscomprising more than 110 oral presentationsand 32 poster sessions, as well as 6 shortcourses, was put together by Bureau DirectorScott Tinker and Bureau researcher Julia Gale.The largest ever Transactions volume wasedited by Bureau scientists Shirley Dutton,Stephen Ruppel, and Tucker Hentz anddistributed to all participants on CD; print-on-demand copies of the 1,213-page volumewere also available. GCAGS also organizeda teachers’ workshop titled “Using Natural

Disasters toTeach EarthS y s t e m s . ”I n s t r u c t o r swere from theBureau, the

New ResearchersThe Bureau added several new scientists to its researchstaff this year. Xavier Janson, a carbonate researcherwho holds a Ph.D. from the University of Miami (2002),joined the Bureau in December. Xavier received hisM.S. degree from the Institut Français du Pétrole (IFPschool) (1997) and his B.S. degree from Joseph FourierUniversité Grenoble 1. Jean-Philippe Nicot, aresearcher in hydrogeology, received both his M.A.(1995) and Ph.D. (1998) degrees from The Universityof Texas at Austin. His B.S. (1981) degree in geologicalengineering was earned at the Institut NationalPolytechnique de Lorraine in Nancy, France.Geophysicist Florence Bonnaffé began work at theBureau in December as well. She has an M.A. degreein applied geophysics from Pierre et Marie CurieUniversity in Paris and a B.A. degree in geology fromJoseph Fourier Université Grenoble 1. Sergey B. Fomelreceived his Ph.D. (2001) in geophysics from StanfordUniversity and his Diploma in geophysics (1990) fromNovosibirsk University in Russia. Sergey came to theBureau from Berkeley, California, where he was aPostdoctoral Fellow at Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory and a Visiting Assistant Professor at theUniversity of California. Long-time Graduate ResearchAssistant Luciano Correa became a permanentemployee in September. Luciano holds an M.S. degreein finance from the University of Chile and anM.A. degree from The University of Texas at AustinCollege of Engineering, from which he will also soonreceive an M.S. in operations research and industrialengineering.

Institute for Geophysics, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Sold-out eventsincluded the All-Convention Luncheon, which featured a speech by AssistantSecretary for Fossil Energy Carl Michael Smith, and an evening of entertain-ment at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.

Annual Report 2002

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INDUSTRIALASSOCIATESPROGRAMS

Applied GeodynamicsLaboratory (AGL)

Martin P. A. Jackson, Michael R. Hudec,Bruno C. Vendeville, Daniel D. Schultz-Ela,and David C. Jennette

AGL research on salt tectonics contin-ued to expand in scope during 2002,including new modules of a digitalatlas, fundamental geologic research ona large, 3-D seismic volume, and ongoingtectonic modeling.

The Salt Mine, a browser-based, inter-active atlas of salt tectonics, features acomprehensive collection of salt struc-ture images and the best models pro-duced during the lab’s 15-year history.Four new atlas modules were produced,which completes the topic of contrac-tional salt tectonics. The atlas is availableonly to AGL sponsors at present. Fouranimations illustrating fundamentalinteractions of salt tectonics and sedi-mentation were also produced.

Integrated structural-stratigraphicresearch was carried out on proprietary3-D seismic data from the deepwaterLower Congo Basin in offshore Gabon.AGL researchers investigated syn-sedimentary thrusting, compressionaldiapiric rejuvenation, allochthonoussalt extrusion, and inversion of ex-tensional faults and turtle structures.The study included extensive seismicinterpretation, tectonic synthesis,restorations, facies mapping, and de-velopment of new concepts.

Modeling research continued into salttectonics associated with hydrocar-bon traps. Researchers use computer-controlled devices to simulate variousstructural styles while overhead photo-graphs, serial sections, time-lapsevideos, and CT scans assist in recon-structing and analyzing structural evo-lution. Pilot experiments were carried

out on physical models incorporatinghigh fluid pressure and on laser scan-ning of evolving model topographies.

Deep-MarineDepositional MarginsIndustrial Alliance (DM2)

Lesli J. Wood and Paul Mann(The University of Texas at AustinInstitute for Geophysics [UTIG])

The offshore margins of Trinidad andVenezuela are leading sources of oil and

natural gas for the U.S. market and areexpected to remain so for the first partof the 21st century. Researchers havebegun a 3-year study, funded by a groupof companies interested in deep-marinehydrocarbon exploration and devel-opment in mobile shale basins. Themarine margin off eastern Trinidadoffers a unique opportunity to gainenormous insight into the structuraland stratigraphic development of thesemargin types through an extensivedatabase. The team is currently inter-preting up to 2.5 seconds of 10,000 km2 of

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Oblique view of structural duplication of a stratigraphic horizon in a fold-and-thrust beltin deepwater Gabon, West Africa. The horizon is currently buried under 3 km of youngersediment. The landward part (right-hand side) shows gaps representing normal faultsor salt diapirs. The basinward part (left-hand side) shows overlapping thrust sheets.

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Large gas-hydratedeposits are found inoffshore regions ofTrinidad and easternVenezuela. Numerousmud volcanoes arecurrently active onthe seafloor and, asin the past, influencethe distribution ofdeep-marine sedimenttransport anddepositional systems.The relationshipbetween structure andmud volcanoes/shalediapirs is beingexplored by the DM2

research group.

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Simulated sweep pattern through arealistic fracture network generatedby J. Olson’s geomechanicalmodeling software.

contiguous 3-D seismic data and hundredsof shallow dropcores, as well as conven-tional hazards seismic, sonar, and core.

The primary goal of the project is tocharacterize the late Pleistocene andHolocene stratigraphy, structure, anddepositional processes in this tectoni-cally active, deep-marine mobile shalebasin. Gas hydrates, mud volcanoes,seaf loor and subseafloor structure,slope, and 3-D stratigraphic architectureare some of the issues being examinedto explain the processes involved inmargin evolution and the potentialfor resource development in deep-marine settings. Data will be processed,mosaiced, and interpreted by UTIGand Bureau researchers.

Fracture Researchand ApplicationConsortium (FRAC)

Stephen E. Laubach, Randall A. Marrett(Department of Geological Sciences,The University of Texas at Austin),Jon E. Olson (Department of Petroleumand Geosystems Engineering, The Universityof Texas at Austin), Julia F. W. Gale,Kitty L. Milliken (Department of GeologicalSciences, The University of Texas at Austin),Robert K. Goldhammer (Department ofGeological Sciences, The Universityof Texas at Austin), and Robert M. Reed

Recent results include linked geome-chanical and structural-diagenetic mod-els that make accurate predictions offracture architecture that can be verifiedusing limited subsurface samples. Pre-dictions of interwell fracture patternsfrom these models have been used to de-sign drilling and stimulation programsand as input in fluid-flow simulators.Another effort is under way to use newfracture characterization methods,which overcome the sampling limita-tions that plague conventional methods,to calibrate seismic fracture detectionmethods. Currently, the project is con-ducting studies in deep sandstonetargets in Texas, the Rocky Mountainregion, and Venezuela, and analysis offractures in carbonate rocks in Texas,the eastern United States, and Mexico.

The FRAC group conducts research tobetter understand fractures and faultsthat influence the successful extractionof resources. Many fractures are difficultor impossible to adequately characterize

using currently available technology.Consequently, fractured reservoirs havebeen difficult to describe and interpret,posing serious challenges to successfulexploration or development. The meth-ods under development by FRAC can beused for evaluating individual wells or,using data from many wells, identifyingfield- or regional-scale fracture patternsand drilling fairways.

Environmental QualityResearch (EQR)

Bridget R. Scanlon

This year investigators used data setsdeveloped as part of the EQR programor related projects to evaluate the ap-plicability of various codes to accu-rately describe water flux in the vadosezone. The results of this study, whichhave been described in various pub-lications and presentations, will assistindustry and regulators in assessingmodeling results that predict the fateand transport of contaminants.

The EQR group provides research tosupport decision-making concernedwith petroleum-related contaminants;evaluates the latest technology for char-acterizing contaminated sites (directand remote sensing measurements);leverages existing contracts funded bythe U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, andother agencies to address petroleumissues; and interfaces with regulators

to ensure that regulations are based ontechnically reliable data. Applications forEQR research are wide ranging and in-clude unsaturated-zone hydrologic stud-ies, including monitoring and modelingapproaches to evaluate aquifer vulner-ability to contamination, guiding envi-ronmental regulation, and remediatingand closing contaminated sites; airbornegeophysical studies to locate contami-nation resulting from oil wells; andstudies identifying suitable subsurfacesites for carbon dioxide sequestration.

Exploration GeophysicsLaboratory (EGL)

Bob A. Hardage, Milo M. Backus,Robert J. Graebner, Sergey B. Fomel,Michael V. DeAngelo, and Paul E. Murray

Joint studies with industry sponsors giveEGL access to several onshore multicom-ponent seismic data sets and to multi-component marine data across the Gulfof Mexico. In 2002, EGL demonstratedthat four-component ocean-bottom-cable(4-C OBC) seismic data should be usedto improve the understanding and charac-terization of gas-hydrate systems acrossthe northern Gulf of Mexico. Advantagesof the 4-C OBC data are that C waves canimage the internal architecture of thoseportions of gas-hydrate areas that lieinside gas-charged sediment. Time-warped C data have better spatial res-olution in shallow seafloor strata thando compressional-wave (P-wave) data.Consequently, EGL researchers recom-mend that 4-C data be incorporated intogas-hydrate studies whenever possible.

Joining the staff this year was geophysi-cist Sergey B. Fomel, previously withStanford University and Lawrence Ber-keley National Laboratory. The EGL de-velops technologies, such as seismicfield-recording techniques and data-processing and data-interpretationprocedures, to image reservoirs using allcomponents of the seismic wavefield.The goal is independent (P-wave) andshear-wave (S-wave) images of strati-graphic systems. As these images arecombined, researchers are gaining in-sight into petrophysical rock properties,pore structure, pore-fluid properties,sequence-stratigraphic relationships,and spatial distributions of lithologies,fractures, and anisotropic propertiesof complex reservoirs.

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Schematic representation of successive growth-faulted intraslope subbasins of theOligocene Frio Formation in the Corpus Christi region, offshore South Texas. Lowstandsedimentary wedges and superposed shelves become younger in a seaward direction.

Reservoir CharacterizationResearch Laboratory (RCRL)

Charles Kerans, F. Jerry Lucia,James W. Jennings, Jr.,and Jerome A. Bellian

In 2002 RCRL completed the first3-D outcrop images using the outcrop-surveying tool called ILRIS 3D, completedan in-depth outcrop and subsur-face reservoir study of the South WassonClear Fork field (Permian), WestTexas, constructed a reservoir model ofthe Sacroc reservoir (Pennsylvanian),conducted small-scale simulationstudies using high-resolution CT scans,and prepared an initial database of rock-fabric and petrophysical information.

Two reservoir studies were also com-pleted in 2002. A final report was submit-ted to the U.S. Department of Energyfor an integrated subsurface and out-crop study of the Clear Fork outcropsin Apache Canyon, Sierra Diablo, andSouth Wasson Clear Fork field, WestTexas. This report describes a method forconstructing a reservoir model that has

been developed by the RCRL over anumber of years. The Sacroc reservoirstudy was completed and submitted tothe operator, Kinder-Morgan. A porosityand permeability model of the northernplatform was constructed using astratigraphic framework based in coredescriptions and 3-D seismic inter-pretation. Permeability profiles for450 wells were calculated on the basis ofrock-fabric porosity-permeability trans-forms specific to stratigraphic horizons.

In addition to these reservoir studies,efforts continued in characterizingplug-scale heterogeneity using high-resolution CT scans, developing a data-base, and distributing research resultsthrough workshops. Simulation studiesat the plug scale demonstrated the effectof scattered anhydrite on flow proper-ties. The results support previousconclusions that anhydrite is not asdetrimental to permeability as previ-ously thought. In 2002 RCRL distrib-uted an initial copy of its rock-fabric/petrophysical database containingphotomicrographs, rock-fabric descrip-tions, and petrophysical data from 156

samples selectedfrom 8 carbonatereservoirs and 1outcrop. This data-base will be usefulto geologists andp et ro p hys i c i s t sconducting rock-fabric and rock-typing studies. Inaddition, research-

ers presented a workshop on reservoirmodeling specifically aimed at engi-neers as a continuing effort to informRCRL sponsors of our research results.

The RCRL industrial research consor-tium has run continuously since 1987.Its mission is to use outcrop and subsur-face geologic and petrophysical datafrom carbonate reservoir strata as thebasis for developing new and integratedmethodologies to better understandand describe the 3-D reservoir environ-ment. Membership has held steady at13 to 18 companies per year havingstrong interests in Permian andAlberta Basins, as well as MiddleEastern carbonate reservoirs.

STARR: Technology Centerfor Oil and Gas RecoveryOptimization onTexas State Lands

Robert G. Loucks, L. Frank Brown, Jr.,Shinichi Sakurai, Randy L. Remington,Ramón H. Treviño, and Eugene M. Kim

During the past 7 years, the State ofTexas Advanced Resource Recovery(STARR) project researchers have beenapplying the latest geological conceptsand geophysical techniques to maturefields on State Lands. The goal of theproject is to enhance ultimate hydro-carbon recovery on State leases by work-ing jointly with oil and gas operatorswho are producing from or exploringthese leases. This goal is accomplishedthrough reservoir characterization stud-ies and extended development, includ-

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ENERGY

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ing drilling new wells, recompleting oldwells, developing enhanced recoveryprograms, and defining deeper targets.

Project STARR has been involved in 16 oiland gas fields. We are now concentrating

on the Red Fish Bay field area in thelowstand, prograding-wedge section ofthe Oligocene Frio Formation, where weare working to delineate new compart-ments for gas production. Lowstand

(a) In this conventional seismic profileof amplitude-to-well-log ties from theMiocene section of offshore Louisiana,amplitude events correlate onlyqualitatively to lithology (shalevolume) because of the tuning effect.Although red amplitudes (trough)indicate existence of sandstonebodies, the thickness definition ispoor. (b) Neural-network-assistedlithology inversion of the same profilegreatly reduces the tuning effect anddramatically improves the correlationbetween seismic data and lithology.Predicted volume of shale not onlyindicates existence of sandstonesbut also is a good measurementof sandstone thickness.

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basin-floor fans and slope fans are alsobeing investigated as deeper productiontargets. Landmark Graphics Corporationsoftware is used extensively to analyze3-D seismic data, model seismic attri-butes, and correlate wireline logs.

STARR is a State of Texas programdesigned to increase royalty payments—a result of drilling profitable oil and gaswells—for the benefit of the PermanentSchool Fund. Texas State Lands opera-tors are invited to participate in STARR,which provides free, expert technicaladvice on developing their fields.

Targeting ReserveGrowth Opportunitiesin the Northern Gulfof Mexico Basin:Transferring SecondaryGas Recovery Technologyto the OffshoreEnvironment

Lesli J. Wood, Tucker F. Hentz,Hongliu Zeng, Michael V. DeAngelo,Mark H. Holtz, Shirley P. Dutton,Ke-Sheng Chan, Eugene M. Kim,Dallas B. Dunlap, and Paul R. Knox

The Offshore Secondary Gas Recoveryresearch program (Offshore SGR), a jointventure between the Bureau and the U.S.Department of Energy, was successfullycompleted in September 2002. Begun

to image these and other intervals, weused a new seismic attribute, amplitudeversus frequency (AVF), that when com-bined with neural-network-assistedmultiattribute analysis dramaticallyimproved bright-spot identification inthin-bedded reservoirs. Neural-networkanalysis also enabled us to conduct au-tomated depositional-facies recognitionand to predict log properties fromseismic attributes, both critical forreservoir-facies identification on seis-mic images outside areas of well control.Among other targets, we identifiedseveral deep (below ~12,000 ft) structuralclosures, and petrophysical and petro-graphic analyses show that favorableporosity and permeability exist inMiocene units below 14,000 ft. Bothobservations indicate significantpotential for deep reserves throughoutthe area. Overall, we identified 54 risk-assessed, resource-addition opportu-nities, 3 of which have been drilled byour industry partner so far, and allwere successful.

As the United States moves from an oil-based economy to a natural-gas econ-omy, programs such as Offshore SGRwill continue to play a vital strategicrole for the United States. We anticipatethat project results will ultimatelyadd significantly to current resourceassessments in the region and provideoperators and interested companieswith a road map to success in the GOMon-shelf Miocene.

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in 1998, the project was charged withidentifying new technologies and pro-cesses to aid in the recovery of naturalgas from mature U.S. fields. The researchfocused on Miocene-age reservoirs in a352-mi2 area of the offshore-Louisianacontinental shelf (Vermilion andSouth Marsh Island Areas). We targetedMiocene-age strata of the northernGulf of Mexico (GOM) because they arethe most productive of all chronostrati-graphic units in this region, accountingfor 40 percent of both cumulative hydro-carbon production and total remainingproven recoverable reserves. Moreover,most of these Miocene resources are re-stricted to the present continental shelf,where the majority of active fields areconsidered mature. Chevron-Texaco, ourindustry partner, provided all geologi-cal and geophysical data, includinga high-quality 3-D seismic data set.

Principal research results of the OffshoreSGR project show that there is potentialfor significant gas resources to have beenbypassed, even in the densely drilledon-shelf fields. We used a fully integratedanalytic approach; a few of its compo-nents are highlighted here. Although astrong structural-trapping compo-nent exists in the study area, combinedsequence-stratigraphic and advancedseismic analysis indicates that morethan 90 percent of all hydrocarbons inthe study area occur within third-orderlowstand systems tracts. In addition tomany conventional seismic applications

Location of theLaguna Madre-Tuxpan studyarea. Thestudy areaencompassessix 3-D seismicsurveys(shown inrectangles)and inter-vening 2-Dlines (notshown) in anarea coveringmore than15,000 km2 toa water depthof 500 m.

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Linking the Mexicoand U.S. Gulf Coast:Geologic Frameworkand Play DefinitionResearch in the LagunaMadre-Tuxpan Area

William A. Ambrose, Khaled Fouad,Shinichi Sakurai, L. Frank Brown, Jr.,Edgar H. Guevara, Dan D. Schultz-Ela,Timothy F. Wawrzyniec, Suhas Talukdar,Dallas B. Dunlap, Luis Sánchez-Barreda;and Alfredo Guzmán, Mario Aranda,Ulises Hernández, Ramon Cárdenas,Héctor Ruiz, Juan Alvarado,Santiago Sarmiento,and Eduardo Macias (PEMEX)

A new, 18-month evaluation of basin-scale oil and gas systems began in Aprilin the Laguna Madre-Tuxpan arealocated north of the Veracruz Basin. Thestudy area covers six 3-D surveys andintervening 2-D seismic lines and linksthe Veracruz and Burgos Basins.

This study, conducted by Bureau andPEMEX teams in Poza Rica and Tampico,will define major Miocene and Plioceneplays in the offshore Gulf of Mexicobetween the Veracruz and Burgos Basinsoffshore to a water depth of 500 m.

Laguna Madre-Tuxpan plays are struc-turally and stratigraphically complex,affording a unique opportunity toexamine a complete coast-to-basin suc-cession from valley fill to basin floor overa distance of less than 25 km. A dynam-ic, tectonically active setting, coupledwith an abundant sediment supply,resulted in a greatly telescoped system.Narrow shelf margins in the LagunaMadre-Tuxpan area represent an endmember in the spectrum of shelf-margin types and promise to be ofsignificant worldwide interest.

Plays in the Laguna Madre-Tuxpanstudy are defined from mappablegeologic attributes. This study uses athreefold definition for plays basedon (1) sequence-stratigraphic occur-rence and age, (2) facies association,and (3) trap. Examples of LagunaMadre-Tuxpan plays defined in thisstudy are the Upper Miocene SlopeChannel/Levees and Upper MioceneCanyon, Stratigraphic Trap plays.

The primary conclusions from the re-search show that a variety of plays and

exploration opportunities exist in thebasin, especially in downdip areas inbasin-floor and slope systems. Otherareas of the basin in major fault-bounded depocenters contain numerousthree-way fault-seal opportunities at

many stratigraphic levels. Identificationand mapping of these plays will yield astructural and stratigraphic frameworkfor existing prospects and hold promiseto identify a spectrum of additionalopportunities in the basin.

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Examples of stratigraphic plays in the Laguna Madre-Tuxpan area. Upper Miocenechannel and canyon trends are inferred from these root-mean-square amplitude maps.

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ULARI: IntegratedGeological and EngineeringCharacterization of theFullerton Clear Fork Fieldin Andrews County, Texas

Stephen C. Ruppel, Fred P. Wang,Jeff Kane, Hongliu Zeng, F. Jerry Lucia,James W. Jennings, Jr., Rebecca H. Jones,Charles Kerans, Mark H. Holtz,Dallas B. Dunlap, and Joseph S. Yeh

Leonardian reservoirs rank last in oil re-covery efficiency among Permian Basincarbonate oil reservoirs. Accordingly,they contain large volumes of remainingmobile oil. The goal of this new projectunder the University Lands AdvancedRecovery Initiative (ULARI) program isto apply Bureau approaches to reservoircharacterization to define additional op-

portunities for the recovery of this oil re-source in the Fullerton Clear Fork field,which with original oil in place of about1.5 billion barrels and cumulative pro-duction of more than 300 millionbarrels is the largest Leonardian res-ervoir in West Texas and the largestreservoir in University Lands.

The Fullerton study is a collaborative ef-fort between the Bureau, ExxonMobil,and Oxy Permian and is jointly fundedby The University of Texas System,ExxonMobil, and the U.S. Department ofEnergy. Among the key issues to be ad-dressed in the study are (1) stratigraphicarchitecture and flow-unit continuity,(2) rock-fabric character and its effecton the distribution of porosity andpermeability, (3) the volume and dis-tribution of original and remainingoil, and (4) the value of 3-D seismic in

defining stratigraphic architecture andporosity distribution.

In the first year of the project, whichinvolves a multidisciplinary team ofBureau geologists, petrophysicists, geo-physicists, and petroleum engineers,efforts have been focused on creating areservoir model that can serve as a basisfor simulation of reservoir performanceand on defining the controls of underly-ing structure on reservoir architectureand rock properties using 3-D and2-D seismic data. When completed,Bureau characterization and modelingstudies at Fullerton field will serve asa critical basis for designing advancedrecovery programs in Leonardian res-ervoirs throughout the Permian Basin—a target resource of more than 2.5 billionbarrels of oil.

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The target CO2 injection interval includes the thick wedges of fluvial-deltaic andstrandplain sandstones of the Miocene Oakville and Fleming Formations and theOligocene Catahoula-Frio-Vicksburg Formations below meteoric water and abovethe strongly growth faulted and geopressured zone. The pilot CO2 sequestrationproject is sited on the sand-rich fairway of the Frio Formation in the upper TexasGulf Coast. We will inject into a thin, high-permeability sandstone of the upperFrio Formation beneath the Anahuac Shale within a fault-bounded compartmenton the flanks of a salt dome. Oil field reservoir characterization has beencompleted to support simulation of the injection.

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Feasibility Assessmentof Carbon DioxideSequestration inBrine-BearingFormations in Texas

Susan D. Hovorka, Paul R. Knox,Mark H. Holtz, Khaled Fouad, ShinichiSakurai, Jeffrey G. Paine, and Joseph S. Yeh

Combustion of fossil fuel releases carbondioxide to the atmosphere at a muchhigher rate than has occurred in therecent past. These releases contributeto the long-term global heat budget,sometimes referred to as the “green-house effect.” Possible effects of in-creased retention of solar input into theatmosphere include higher tempera-tures, increased desertification, in-creased severity of storms, sea-level rise,changes to ecosystems, and broadeningof the ranges of tropical diseases.

The Bureau team is testing the effective-ness of geologic sequestration, one of thewidely accepted options for reducingthe release of carbon dioxide to theatmosphere. Sequestration would in-volve capturing carbon dioxide fromsmokestacks and injecting it into the

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ENVIRONMENT

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Lidar topographic relief image of a Galveston, Texas, beach with a +0.6-m mean-sea-level contour line.

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deep subsurface. We are participating intwo projects funded by the U.S. Depart-ment of Energy/National Energy Tech-nology Laboratory. In the first project,the Bureau is leading a team to designand implement an experiment that willinject a small volume of carbon dioxideinto a high-permeability but saltwater-bearing Frio sandstone for the purposeof closely monitoring performance ofthe subsurface for accepting and retain-ing the carbon dioxide. Monitoring ofthe expected updip migration of injectedcarbon dioxide will use the injectionwell and one monitoring well and willinclude pressure and temperature,cross-well seismic and vertical seismicprofiling, geochemistry using naturaland introduced tracers, and surfacemonitoring for carbon dioxide. Moni-toring results will be matched to modelpredictions to test the reliability ofmonitoring and modeling techniquesand correctness of conceptual models.

The second part of this effort is part ofthe GEOSEQ project led by LawrenceBerkeley National Laboratory to assessthe long-term fate of carbon dioxide toconstrain the rate and processes of theleakage from the subsurface back to theatmosphere. These two studies are pre-requisites to larger scale projects thathave potential for cumulative significantreduction in emitted carbon. In the nearterm, results might include more wide-spread use of coupled enhanced oil re-covery with sequestration. Eventually,carbon from fossil fuels could be ex-tracted before combustion and seques-tered, simultaneously reducing allatmospheric emissions.

Shoreline Change andStorm Hazards alongthe Texas Coast

James C. Gibeaut, Roberto Gutierrez,Tiffany L. Hepner, Rebecca C. Smyth,John R. Andrews, and Melba M. Crawford(Center for Space Research,The University of Texas at Austin)

Texas has a variety of shoreline typesalong its coastal bays and open Gulf ofMexico coast that are constantly shiftingand mostly retreating landward. Thisretreat results in loss of private and pub-lic property and important natural habi-tats such as beaches, dunes, and marshes.To address this problem the Texas Legis-lature passed the Coastal Erosion Plan-ning and Response Act in 1999. This Actauthorized the General Land Office toconduct a coastal-erosion response pro-gram. In support of the program, Bureaucoastal researchers are identifying andstudying eroding areas along the Gulf ofMexico and coastal bay shorelines ofTexas, quantifying data gleaned fromresearch and creating a comprehensive,digital database of historical shorelinepositions and average annual ratesof shoreline change that are beingmade available to the public throughthe Internet.

The goal of the Texas Shoreline ChangeProject is to develop a modern shoreline-monitoring and shoreline-changeanalysis program that will help guidecoastal-erosion and storm-hazard-mitigation projects along bay and Gulfshorelines. This goal is being accom-

plished through digital rectification ofhistorical photographs to extract pastshoreline positions, airborne topo-graphic lidar surveys for acquiringnew and future shoreline data, selectground topographic transects, and theestablishment of Global PositioningSystem (GPS) reference points to sup-port the monitoring.

Funding from the National Aeronauticsand Space Administration has enabledthe Bureau to develop the application oflidar and geodetic GPS surveys for track-ing coastal change. The Bureau ownsand operates an Optech Inc. lidar instru-ment and is continually developing newand improved coastal survey techniques.During 2002, we conducted lidar surveysof the upper Texas Gulf shoreline andthe bay shorelines of West and East Baysin the Galveston Bay System. We havedeveloped processing techniques for ex-tracting shoreline positions from thelidar data as well as mapping sedimentvolumes alongshore. Spatial variation inthe sand volume and elevation andshape of the beach/dune system areprimary controls on the amount ofdamage to landward structures thatcan occur during storms. This workinvolves mapping these variationsand developing new parameters todescribe them for use in hazard miti-gation efforts.

Selected shoreline-change data collectedfrom various sources are now postedon a newly developed Website (usingnew Arc/Info Internet Map Serversoftware) at www.beg.utexas.edu/coastal/intro.htm.

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Groundwater Recharge

Bridget R. Scanlon and Robert C. Reedy

During 2002, we conducted severalprojects related to groundwater rechargein Texas. A detailed numerical modelingstudy was conducted to evaluate whetherrecharge occurs in interdrainage areas inarid-semiarid regions in the southwest-ern United States. Long-term monitoringrecords from four different sites in Texasand Nevada indicate that infiltrationis restricted to the shallow subsurface(0.3- to 2-m depth). Upward water pres-sure gradients indicate that water flowis upward in these settings. Numericalsimulations of liquid and nonisothermalvapor flow used to simulate measuredwater potential and chloride profiles atseveral sites indicate that flow has beenupward for time periods ranging from2,000 to 9,000 yr in the Southern HighPlains to a maximum of 16,000 yr in the

Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas andthe Amargosa Desert in Nevada. Theseresults indicate that there has been norecharge in interdrainage arid-semiaridregions since the Pleistocene and thatthick unsaturated zones in these regionshave been undergoing long-term dry-ing during the Holocene. These resultshave important implications for waterresources because interdrainage areasconstitute substantial portions of alluvi-al basins in the southwestern UnitedStates. The results also indicate thatthese settings should be suitable forwaste disposal because contaminantswould be trapped in the shallow sub-surface in natural systems. This workwas conducted in collaboration withJirka Simunek at University of Califor-nia, Riverside, and Brian Andraski of theU.S. Geological Survey in Nevada.

The Bureau recently began a modelingand field study for the Texas Commission

on Environmental Quality to evaluategroundwater recharge in the major aqui-fers in the state. Estimates of ground-water recharge are critical for estimatinggroundwater availability and for esti-mating aquifer vulnerability to con-tamination. The modeling analysis willprovide a screening tool to evaluaterelative recharge rates related to differ-ent climate, vegetation, and soil types inthe major aquifers. The codes UNSATHand HYDRUS will be used for the simu-lations. Long-term (30- to 100-yr) climaterecords will be generated for the simu-lations. The modeling work will be usedto identify areas where field studiesshould be conducted to further evaluaterecharge. Field studies will include theuse of soil physics monitoring and envi-ronmental tracer analysis to constrainrecharge estimates. The results of thisstudy will form the foundation for morecomprehensive field studies of ground-water recharge throughout the state.

Austin Lidar Project

Roberto Gutierrez, Rebecca C. Smyth,Tiffany L. Hepner, and Christopher Weed(Center for Space Research,The University of Texas at Austin)

Because of recurring flooding, Austin,Texas, needs new flood hazard ratemaps for the southern part of themunicipality. The City of Austin askedthe Bureau to collect elevation data overthe Williamson and Onion Creek water-sheds using the Bureau’s airborne lidarmapping system. Airborne lidar map-ping uses a powerful laser scanningsystem and the Global PositioningSystem (GPS) to measure the Earth’s to-pography with great precision froma fixed- or rotary-winged aircraft.

In May 2002, researchers, working withthe Texas State Aircraft Pooling Board,collected approximately 260 millionlidar measurements over 92 mi2 of thecity. Flood hazard analysis requires anaccurate representation of the groundsurface and the stream network free oftrees and buildings and necessitatesthe classification of the lidar topographicpoints. Using computer algorithmsdeveloped by Chris Weed at the Centerfor Space Research, the Austin lidar datawere identified as reflections from theground, buildings, or vegetation. Thusclassified lidar data provide detailedinformation for hydrologic, geologic,and environmental investigations.


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Perspective view of three superimposed digital elevation models (DEM)of the Oak Hill area of Austin, Texas: vegetation (green), buildings (red),and terrain (earth colors).

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Geographic information system layers can be used to compare and contrast map patterns, and associated data can be analyzed toquantify trends.

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Public Outreachand Education

Using GIS Technologyto Explore Earth Systems

Susan D. Hovorka and John R. Andrews

During this year we continued compila-tion of geographic information system(GIS) data sets for student use. The Bureau

participated in a partnership led byActiveInk Corporation and FabensIndependent School District to supplyparticipating public school districts withWeb-based interactive projects funded bya Technology Integrated into Educationgrant. We added six new areas to the GISdata sets completed last year: Big Bend,

Dallas, Houston, Kerrville, San Antonio,and Northeast Texas near the Arkansas-Oklahoma border. Each area includes adigital geologic map, satellite images,shaded relief maps, soil characteristics,land use/land cover, vegetation, and cul-tural features to encourage the studentsto explore relationships between data sets.


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Earth Science Week

Sigrid J. Clift

Earth Science Week (ESW) was observednationwide October 13–19, and theBureau celebrated by sponsoring aBook Drive that collected $1,700 for theAustin Public Library and by hosting thethird Career Day Fair. The Austin ESWCareer Day Fair, organized by Bureauresearcher and Austin ESW ChairpersonSigrid J. Clift and members of theAustin area ESW Consortium, treated300 Austin-area middle school studentsto a day of learning about earth sciencecareers from earth science professionals.Mary Ann Rankin, Dean of The Univer-sity of Texas at Austin College of NaturalSciences, gave the opening ceremonypresentation and read Governor Perry’sproclamation declaring Texas EarthScience Week 2002. Presenters includedBureau researchers Dallas B. Dunlap andJohn R. Andrews, who staged a 3-D viewof the Earth using the Bureau’s virtualreality theater. To find out more aboutESW in Austin and other cities through-out Texas, visit the Texas ESW Websiteat www.beg.utexas.edu/esw.

Petroleum TechnologyTransfer Council (PTTC)

Scott W. Tinker, Sigrid J. Clift,Sylvia J. Jennette, and Eric C. Potter

The PTTC Texas Region, for which theBureau serves as Regional Lead Organi-zation, sponsored a variety of workshopsfor Texas independent producers during2002: Well-Bore Management, Field-Oriented Projects for Independents,Coalbed Methane Potential in the Gulfof Mexico, Revitalizing Gas Explorationand Production in the Gulf of MexicoProvince, Interpreting 3-D CarbonateStratigraphy Using 1-D Data, and soft-ware training workshops. In addition toworkshops, the Texas Region PTTCco-sponsors the annual Permian Basin

CO2 conference in Midland, Texas.Members receive updates and technologytransfer news through the PTTC quar-terly newsletter, ProducerNews, whichis distributed by mail to more than 1,000independent oil and gas producers.


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research include wireline electric logs, wellrecords, and scout tickets from hundreds ofthousands of Texas wells. Sample logs fromthe 1930’s through the 1950’s are also storedand made available for public research.Copies of logs can be requested either inperson or by mail, telephone, fax, or e-mail.For information, please call the GLFmanager at 512-471-7139.

Publication SalesThe Bureau publishes and sells maps andreports of research conducted by Bureaustaff from 1915 to the present. In 2001 wealso began handling the sales of select GulfCoast Association of Geological Societies(GCAGS) publications. Bureau publicationsinclude reports of investigations, guide-books, handbooks, cross sections, maps, oiland gas atlases, interactive CD’s, seismicdata sets, geologic folios, geologic atlassheets, page-sized maps of Texas, classroomteaching aids, out-of-print publications,and most Bureau contract reports. The Pub-lication Sales office is located on the firstfloor of Bureau headquarters in Austin.Orders for publications can be madeeither in person or by mail, telephone, fax,or e-mail, or through our Website atwww.beg.utexas.edu. For information, pleasecall the Publication Sales manager at 512-475-9513. Free copies of the current year’sList of Publications, Annual Report, andMidyear Report are available upon request.

Support Staff

Administrative

Wanda LaPlante, who recently celebrated25 years of service at the Bureau, is theAssistant to the Director. Glynis Morsesupervises the administrative staff whoare responsible for general administration ofthe Bureau. Glynis and her employeeshandle payroll, personnel, accounts payableand receivable, purchasing, travel andreimbursement, and countless other tasksfor the Bureau’s 140+ employees.

Contract Management

Contract Manager Lynda Miller and her staffhelp researchers prepare budgets and pro-posals and serve as liaisons for funding agen-cies. Contract management includesfinancial reporting, database and recordsmanagement, and the documentation ofprogress and submission of deliverables.

In addition to being a research unit ofThe University of Texas at Austin, theBureau serves the State of Texas as theTexas Geological Survey. In this role,the Bureau maintains the followingpublic resources and facilities: CoreResearch Centers, Data Center (com-posed of the Geophysical Log Facilityand the Reading Room), and PublicationSales. These facilities are open to thepublic Monday through Friday from8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Comprehensiveinformation about these resources canbe found on the Bureau’s Website atwww.beg.utexas.edu under the menuPublic Resources.

Core Research CentersThe Core Research Centers (CRC’s) are theBureau’s research and storage facilities inAustin, Houston, and Midland that housecore and rock material donated to theUniversity. The central core repository is theAustin CRC, located adjacent to Bureauheadquarters on the University’s J. J. PickleResearch Campus. Public facilities includecore examination rooms, processing roomsfor slabbing core, and office space. For-a-fee services are available, such as corephotography and CRC inventories on CD’s.For information, please call the Austin CRCmanager, George Bush, at 512-471-0402, orread about the facilities on the Bureau’sWebsite at www.beg.utexas.edu/mainweb/geolinks01.htm.

The Data CenterThe Data Center, comprising a ReadingRoom and Geophysical Log Facility man-aged by Sigrid J. Clift, is located on the firstf loor of the Bureau’s headquarters inAustin. The Reading Room maintains acollection of geological reference materials,including periodicals, maps, well logs,publications, and reports from variousgovernmental and nongovernmentalearth science entities. For information,please call the Public Information Geologistat 512-471-0320.

The Geophysical Log Facility (GLF) storesdownhole log data received from privatedonations, Bureau research projects, and theRailroad Commission of Texas, which bylaw receives a copy of geophysical logsfrom every new, deepened, or plugged welldrilled in Texas. Data available for public

Public InformationResources

Facilities Management

The day-to-day management of the buildingis the responsibility of Facilities ManagerJames A. Doss, Jr. His team provides behind-the-scene support for inhouse meetings, con-ventions, daily mail service, maintenance ofBureau vehicles, office moves, and invento-ries of basic equipment.

Editing

Chief Editor Susie Doenges supervises theBureau’s editing staff, who are responsiblefor editing, word processing, desktoppublishing, and proofreading all varietiesof Bureau publications, including contractreports, abstracts, peer-reviewed articles,and annual reports.

Graphics

Graphics Manager Joel Lardon heads up theBureau’s team of computer illustrators,a designer, and a photographer, who areresponsible for producing the design, art-work, and illustrations for Bureau researchand publications. Their award-winninggraphics include text illustrations andpresentation materials, manual and digitalphotography, design and layout, map designand finishing, as well as Website content andposters for the Bureau booths displayed atconventions.

Information

Technology Services

Information Technology Services (ITS) ismanaged by Ron Russell, who, with his teamof IT experts, provides vital computer tech-nology assistance to Bureau researchersand staff, including systems support, 3-Dmodeling, visualization, characterization,computer mapping, programming, databaseapplications, statistical and graphical analy-sis of data, and PC and workstation plat-forms.

Media Technology

Services

Scott Rodgers is Manager of the Bureau’sMedia Technologies program and is respon-sible for the Virtual Imaging and Visuali-zation Environment (VIVE), a laboratoryfor the application of virtual visualizationtechnologies for the earth sciences. In addi-tion, the program develops plans for inte-gration of digital information systemsand interactive educational technologies,including digital publishing and Internetdevelopment, within the Bureau.

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Sources of Funding

Five-year Budget Trends

Staff Trends

Bureau Finances and Staff

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

On tOn tOn tOn tOn the Whe Whe Whe Whe Web ateb ateb ateb ateb atwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.beg.ut.beg.ut.beg.ut.beg.ut.beg.uteeeeexxxxxas.eduas.eduas.eduas.eduas.edu

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The Website continues to be a high-profile part of Bureau life. Features onthe home page cover current eventsand news of the Bureau, research staffand their work, visitors to the Bureau,public outreach, and new Bureaupublications, to name but a few.

The Website also provides basic infor-mation about the Bureau, including itsmission, areas of research and publicoutreach, public services, a staff di-rectory, and a catalog of publications.The site also has links to State, Federal,and industrial organizations, as well aslinks to geologic and earth scienceresources such as Texas Earth Science

Week (ESW) and Texas EnvironmentalAwareness Network (TEAN).

A new page on Bureau alumni(www.beg.utexas.edu/mainweb/alumni01.htm) contains updates andcontact information on former Bureaustaff. We welcome additions to thissection and invite you to visit the siteto read about friends and colleagues.A postage-paid reply form inserted inthe center of this Annual Report hasspace for sending the Bureau informa-tion to be posted on our alumni page.Information on Bureau alumni may beobtained from Deborah Thomas at512-471-0305.

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BEG ResearchExcellence Fund

The Bureauhas a remark-able history,and its alumnibase is broadand strong.Many friendsof the Bureau

have asked, “How can I help theBureau?” Surprisingly, there are manyways to help, including tellingothers about the Bureau, attendingour receptions at conventions, writingletters to us with ideas and sugges-tions or to Congress in support of ourresearch.

Assistance can also be financial.Bureau research is funded from a va-riety of sources, including Federal,State, and local government agencies,private corporations, and foundations.These entities typically fund contractsthat are directed toward solvingspecific problems in the earth sciences.Most of these funding sources do notallow flexibility for program develop-ment, conference attendance, publica-tion, equipment purchase, and the like.

The Bureau of Economic GeologyResearch Excellence Fund has beenestablished to suppor t innovative

research projects and disseminateresearch results. Gifts to the ResearchExcellence Fund will allow us to continueour pursuit of excellence in research.We welcome the participation, ideas,and continued support of our friendsand colleagues. And we appreciate yourcontributions, which will strength-en our ability to serve Texas and ournation as we educate the world in theearth sciences. A postage-paid replyenvelope is provided for your conve-nience in the center of this AnnualReport. Information on the ResearchExcellence Fund may be obtained fromGlynis Morse at 512-471-1254.

Annual Report 2002

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Documents

Annual report 2002 11 - University of Texas at Austin