apache exploring alaska’s cook inlet with a bottom’s up ... 2013 newsletter.pdf · volume 43...

Volume 43 Number 7 March 2013

Apache Exploring Alaska’s Cook Inlet with a Bottom’s Up Approach

David Allard with contributions from Steve Adiletta, Bruce Batory, Jay Busch,

Hugo Castellanos, Tim Davis and Mike Yates

Apache Corporation [email protected]

AGS Luncheon

Date & Time: March 21st, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Program: Apache Exploring Alaska’s Cook Inlet with a Bottom’s Up Approach

Speaker(s): David Allard, Apache Corporation

Place: BP Energy Center

Reservations: Make your reservation before noon Tuesday, March 19th, 2013.

Cost: Seminar only, no meal: Free

Reserve a box lunch: $15

Reserve a hot lunch: $20

Lunch with no reservation:

On an “as-available” basis only

E-mail reservations: [email protected] or phone (907) 564-4028

For more information: visit the AGS website: www.alaskageology.org

The geologic evolution of the Alaskan Cook Inlet Basin spans nearly 200 m.y. resulting in a complex stratigraphic and structural exploration framework. Understanding the distribution of the Tertiary aged, primary oil and gas reservoir sandstones in the ba-sin is a challenge, but somewhat well understood due to the good work done and publications written over the years. Cumulative oil and gas production to date, primarily from a few key fields discovered prior to 1968, is significant totaling approximately 1.3 BBO and greater than 8 TCFG.

In 2010, Apache recognized an exploration play opportunity in a sparsely explored basin with an im-mature field size distribution and limited 3D seismic coverage. Exploration challenges are significant, due to complex geology, physical logistics and reg-ulatory hurdles. Throughout most of the basin source rock presence and maturity has been veri-fied by drilling. The progressive evolution of the Cook Inlet forearc basin resulted in a complexly faulted and folded basin that contains imbricate, duplex and sub-thrust trap styles in addition to sim-ple closures. Sandstones are abundant in the fluvi-al-dominated Tertiary section, but reservoir quality is commonly a challenge due largely to sediment provenance and diagenesis factors. Reducing the play or prospect risk in Cook Inlet takes significant investment and a long term commitment. (continued)

Kaguyak Formation type section


About the Speaker:

David Allard – Apache Corporation New Ventures Exploration Manager, North America/Caribbean; based in Houston. Previous assignments as Apache Explo-ration Manager include; Central USA 2006 – 2010, the North Sea 2003 – 2006 and Egypt 2000 – 2003. David joined Apache in 1997 working International New Ventures in Houston as a Senior Staff Geologist before moving to Cairo in 1998. He began his career in San Francisco with Sohio Petroleum Company in 1980 and then spent 16 years working for Exxon Corporation in US and international exploration and production assignments. While working for Exxon International 1988 – 1997, David held a variety of technical area leadership roles. He holds a BSc in Geology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and is a Certified Pe-troleum Geologist with the AAPG, and a member of other various geoscience societies. In recent years David was involved with several exploration discover-ies, license round awards, acquisitions as well as publications.

Apache has applied a technology driven, “basement-up” approach utilizing integrated basin analysis to unlock the un-discovered potential of the Cook Inlet. Following the success-ful completion of a spring 2011 nodal technology test line; a year of 3D seismic operations coverage total is 317 mi.2 (~2/3 offshore) with no lost time incidents or “takes” of Beluga whales. Apache spud the first exploration well in 2012, which we hope is the first of many.

Stratigraphy of Cook Inlet Basin

Low- to moderate-sinuosity channels in Tyonek Formation

~ 30 m

Thick sand body in Upper Beluga Formation

~ 10 m


From the President’s Desk:

Just a quick peek outside and we can see that we are still in the winter mode; albeit considerably mellower than this time last year. Meanwhile other parts of the country are experiencing a series of what’s described as “storms of the century”. It’s a matter of perspective.

From my perspective, Alaska geology is at an interesting position. The largest oil fields are wan-ing yet there’s incredible upside potential in comparatively risky venues like the Chukchi and Shale or coal-hosted hydrocarbon plays. There’s potential for large gas pipeline and dam construction; both of which require geological analyses for resource and environmental viability. Mining opera-tions have potential for large scale growth at current commodity prices. On the other hand, both State and Federal agencies are faced with their own budget constraints. People and programs in-volved in geological education or research or hazards identification, may be adversely affected. None of this is new to those of us who have been around a few years. It’s the nature of being a ge-ologist up here. We all know our futures are quite variable. Hopefully we’re up to the challenge.

And as for near term challenges, we’re looking at Spring Technical Conference in April. We’re still open to ideas for a theme, some speakers, posters and field trips. We’re probably open for some volunteers too. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t include a plug for volunteers to run for AGS offices, for judges at the Anchorage and Fairbanks School Districts’ Science Fairs at the end of March. Then it’s also time to consider participating on the Scholarship Committee to see what’s the latest geological activity going on around us. I don’t like to sound like public television or radio, but volunteers make the AGS function. And I’d like to thank Chad Hultz (USGS), Dr. Cathy Hanks (UAF) and Trystan Herriott (DGGS).

THE ALASKA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Luncheon Schedule 2012 - 2013

Updates on the web at: http://www.alaskageology.org

September 2012 Thursday, Sept. 20th – James R. Markello, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Co, Houston, TX; A New Depositional & Sequence Stratigraphic Architecture for the Lisburne Wahoo Reservoir, North Slope Alaska

October 2012 Thursday, Oct. 18th – Dr. John C. Eichelberger, USGS; A 100 Year Perspective of the Katmai Volcano and Eruption

November 2012 Thursday, Nov. 15th – Dr. Mark Myers, Vice Chancellor for Research, UAF; Geology Research and the Geophysical Institute at University of Alaska Fairbanks

December 2012 Thursday, Dec. 13th – Ed Duncan, President – Great Bear Petroleum; Unconventional Oil Reservoirs on the North Slope of Alaska

January 2013 Thursday, Jan 17th – Kristine Crossen, UAA; Tsui Lake Jokulhlaup and the 15 year surge of Bering Glacier, Alaska

*January 2013 Tuesday, Jan. 22nd – Dr. Bernard Coakley, UAF; MCS Data Across the Chukchi Borderland and Chukchi Shelf

February 2013 Thursday, Feb. 21st – Josef Chmielowski, BP Exploration Alaska, Heavy Oil Team Leader; Heavy Oil Development and Technologies, North Slope, Alaska

March 2013 March 21st – David Allard, Apache New Ventures Manager; Cook Inlet Exploration

April 2013 Thursday, April 18th – Jana DaSilva Lage, Aeromatric, Manager and Geologist; The Mighty Matanuska: An Aerial Mapping Study

May 2013 Thursday, May 16th – Dr. Wesley Wallace, UAF; Neotectonics of a Complex Plate Boundary Zone: Indentation, Rotation, and Escape in Alaska

If you would like to give a presentation or suggest a speaker, please contact Monte Mabry at 564-4028.


ALASKA FOSSIL OF THE MONTH

APHROSALPINX TEXTILIS MYAGKOVA, 1955, CALCAREOUS SPONGE: A COMMON FAUNAL ELEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER SILURIAN

REEFS OF ALASKA, SIBERIA, AND THE URALS

Robert B. Blodgett (Consulting Geologist, Anchorage)

The selection for this month’s Alaska Fossil of the Month column is the late Silurian (Ludlow) cal-careous sponge Aphrosalpinx textilis Myagkova, 1955, a locally common to abundant accessory faunal component of large upper Silurian reef bodies in southern Alaskan (in both the Farewell and Alexander terranes; see Figure 1 for distribution).

The genus Aphrosalpinx (with type species A. textilis) was established by Myagkova (1955a), and it and several related new genera were placed by her in the same paper in a new class she named the Aphrosalpingoida, which she thought to be the youngest archaeocyathids (subsequent study indicates they are sponges). These unusual sponges were recovered from distinctive upper Silurian (Ludlow) age cyanobacterial-algal reef complexes (subsequently similar structures were found in coeval rocks of southern Alaska’s accreted terranes; Figure 2), and she had several subse-quent papers on this unusual group of organisms (Myagkova, 1955b, 1960, and 1984).

Aphrosalpinx was first reported in North America by Helen Duncan (in Sainsbury, 1965) from the White Mountain area, McGrath A-4 quadrangle (Figures 3, 4). Their abundance there at the base of a massive cyanobacterial (“algal”) reef complex was further discussed in Blodgett (1983). Subse-quent field work by the author in Farewell terrane rocks of southwestern and west-central Alaska resulted in many additional occurrences of these peculiar sponges in massive platform-margin reef complex settings. As a consequence of their great abundance, I approached Keith Rigby (one of the World’s leading expert on Paleozoic sponges) to see if he was interested in studying them further. He was very excited about this project, as so we started working on a manuscript (together with Matt Nitecki). As this project progressed, I discovered by reading an internal USGS fossil report by Bill Oliver in the mid-1960s, that he had also observed them in a collection made by Tom Ov-enshine from Hoot Island off the west coast of Prince of Wales Island. At this time, I mentioned this occurrence to Constance Soja, who was studying the Silurian age Heceta Limestone of Southeast Alaska, and she added a significant amount of material to this effort, which resulted in a four-way joint publication on aphrosalpingid sponges from the upper Silurian of Alaska (Rigby and others, 1994).

The occurrence of Aphrosalpinx and related aphrosalpingid sponges in the Farewell terrane of southwestern and west-central Alaska and in the Alexander terrane of southeastern Alaska, sug-gest strong biogeographic ties with coeval upper Silurian occurrences in the Uralian seaway (on both flanks of the Ural Mountains) of Russia and the Kuznetsk Basin of southwestern Siberia (Rigby and others, 1994; Blodgett and others, 2002, 2010). No occurrences of aphrosalpingids are report-ed anywhere in craton-bound rocks of Laurentia (North America). The great abundance of these sponges in the southern Alaskan accreted terranes, where relatively little field work has been under-taken, compared to the absence in the much more intensively studied field areas in craton-bound upper Silurian rocks of western and Arctic North America strongly support the view that the Farewell and Alexander terranes are displaced emigrants from Eurasia, in accordance with the other early and mid-Paleozoic age fauna from these same terranes.

REFERENCES

Blodgett, R. B., 1983, Paleobiogeographic affinities of Devonian fossils from the Nixon Fork terrane, southwestern Alaska, in Stevens, C. H., ed., Pre-Jurassic rocks in Western North America Sus-pect Terranes: Pacific Section, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, Los An-geles, p. 125-130.


Blodgett, R. B., Boucot, A. J., Rohr, D. M., and Pedder, A.E.H., 2010, The Alexander terrane – A dis-placed fragment of northeast Russia? Evidence from Silurian-Middle Devonian megafossils and stratigraphy: Memoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologists, v. 39, p. 325-341 .

Blodgett, R. B., Rohr, D. M., and Boucot, A. J., 2002, Paleozoic links among some Alaskan accreted terranes and Siberia based on megafossils, in Miller, E.L., Grantz, Art, and Klemperer, S.L., eds., Tectonic Evolution of the Bering Shelf-Chukchi Sea-Arctic Margin and Adjacent Landmasses: Ge-ological Society of America Special Paper 360, p. 273-290.

Myagkova, E.I., 1955a, K kharakeristike klassa Aphrosalpingoidea Myagkova, 1955: Doklady AN SSSR, v. 104, p. 478-481.

Myagkova, E.I., 1955b, Novye predstaviteli tipa Archaeocyatha: Doklady AN SSSR, v. 104, p. 638-641.

Myagkova, E.I., 1960, Novye punkty nakhodok Aphrosalpinx textilis Myagkova: Trudy gorno-geologicheskogo Instituta, Ualskii Filial, AN SSSR, v. 51, p. 89-90.

Myagkova, E.I., 1984, Aphrosalpingata, in Tatarinov, L.P., ed., Spravochnik po sistematike iskopae-mykh organizmov (maksony otryadnoi i vyzshikh grupp), 19-20, Nauka, Moskva.

Rigby, J.K., Nitecki, M.H., Soja, C.M., and Blodgett, R.B., 1994, Silurian aphrosalpingid sphinctozo-ans from Alaska and Russia: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, v. 39, p. 341-391.

Sainsbury, C.L., 1965, Previously undescribed Middle(?) Ordovician, Devonian(?), and Cretaceous(?) rocks, White Mountain area, near McGrath, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Pa-per 525-C, p. 91-95.

Figure 1. Paleogeographic map of land masses during the Late Silurian (Ludlow) showing localities of aphrosalpingid sponges. A. Taylor Mountains D-2 quadrangle, southwestern Alaska. B. White Mountains ar-ea, McGrath A-4 and A-5 quadrangles, west-central Alaska. C. Shellabarger Pass, Talkeetna C-6 quadrangle, south-central Alaska, D. Sea Otter Sound area of southeastern Alaska. E. Pay-Khoy, Cape Belyi Nos in Rus-sia. F. western slope of the northern Urals Mountains, Russia. G. Eastern slope of the central Ural Mountains, Russia (base map from Scotese and McKerrow, 1990). Two localities not shown in this diagram include the Kuznetsk Basin of southwestern Siberia and Drake Island in Glacier Bay, Southeast Alaska (above figure from Rigby and others, 1994).


Figure 2. Aphrosalpinx textilis Myagkova in thin section from both southwestern Alaska (Farewell ter-rane) and the Heceta Limestone (Alexander terrane) of Southeast Alaska (from Rigby and others, 1994).


Figure 3. Additional views of Aphrosalpinx textilis Myagkova in thin section from the White Mountain area, McGrath A-4 quadrangle (Farewell terrane) (from Rigby and others, 1994).

Figure 4. Generalized reconstruction of Aphrosalpinx Myagkova 1955. Sponges are only a few centimeters in diameter (from Rigby and others, 1994).

Membership Notes

Membership renewal is November 1st

Annual dues for membership in AGS are:

Full members — $20 Student members — $5

Starting November 1, 2013 dues will be:

Full members — $25 Student members — $5


My Pet Rock

Photomicrographs in plain light (PL) and crossed nicols (CN) of pebbly sandstones that form the principal oil and gas reservoir (EUR: 200-416 Mmb-liq + 8 Tcf-gas) at the Point Thomson field, presently under development by ExxonMobil and partners. These marine-originated “Point Thomson” sandstones (and conglomerates and breccias) are Neocomian in age and ap-proximately equivalent to the more regional “Kuparuk-C” or Kemik sandstones. The sedimen-tary material was derived from local sources, probably high-standing relics (sea stacks, etc.) of erosionally-resistant rocks on the Mikkelsen high to the north. The polymictic detrital materials can be traced into rock types found in the deformed basement immediately beneath the Point Thomson sandstones. The sandstones and pebble-size fractions are dominated by well-rounded clasts of dolomitic marble (DM), illustrated in the lower two photographs. Siliciclastic clasts are more common toward the base and include schistose-phyllitic rocks (upper photos), argillite (A), quartzite, and quartz arenite (QA) (lower photos). Some of the clasts are probably recycled from the Kekiktuk quartz arenites (Mississippian Endicott Gp.). Sparry calcite (SC) is the most common cement and secondary dissolution porosity (not shown) is prominent. The old-school labeling reflects the archaic period when the photographs were obtained. In the up-per photos the quartz schist clast is ~1.5 mm in length; in the lower photos, the marble clasts are ~2 mm in diameter. All photos are from the Point Thomson 1 well at the indicated depths of publicly-available (AKGMC) core chips. Send a photo of your pet rock to the editor: [email protected]

Kirk W. Sherwood Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)


PRA

3601 C Street, Suite 822

Anchorage, AK 99503

The Alaska Geological Society, Inc. P.O. Box 101288

Anchorage AK 99510 On the web at: h p://www.alaskageology.org

The Alaska Geological Society is an organiza on which seeks to promote inter-est in and understanding of Geology and the related Earth Sciences, and to provide a common organiza on for those individuals interested in geology and the related Earth Sciences.

This newsle er is the monthly (September-May) publica on of the Alaska Geological Society, Inc. Number of newsle ers/month: ~300

EDITOR Ken Helmold

Alaska Geological Society, Inc. P. O. Box 101288

Anchorage, AK 99510 e-mail: ken.helmold at alaska.gov

(907) 269-8673 (office)

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

AGS annual memberships expire November 1. The annual membership fee is $20/year. You may download a membership applica on from the AGS website and return it at a luncheon mee ng, or mail it to the address above.

Contact membership coordinator Ken Helmold with changes or updates (e-mail: ken.helmold at alaska.gov; phone: 907-269-8673)

All AGS publica ons are now available for on-line purchase on our website. Check to see the complete catalogue:

h p://www.alaskageology.org/publica ons

ADVERTISING RATES

Adver sements may be purchased at the following rates: 1/10 Page--$190/9mo, $75/1mo; size=1.8 x 3.5 inch

1/4 Page--$375/9mo, $95/1mo; size=4.5 x 3.5 or 2.2 x 7.5 inch 1/3 Page- $470/9mo, $105/1mo; size=7.0 x 3.5 or 3.0 x 7.5 inch 1/2 Page--$655/9mo, $125/1mo; size=9.0 x 3.5 or 4.5 x 7.5 inch

Full Page--$1000/9mo, $165/1mo; size=7.5 x 9.0 inch 1mo rate=(9mo rate/9)+$50 (rounded up).

Contact Keith Torrance (614) 264-4506 for adver sing informa on.


Meeting Information

The American Geological Institute provides a comprehensive list of national and international geoscience meetings at: http://calendar.agiweb.org

Local Meetings:Local Meetings:

American Water Resources Association—Alaska Sectionhttp://www.awra.org/state/alaska/index.html

Alaska Geological Society http://www.alaskageology.org Lunch meetings are held monthly September through May in Anchorage. For more information, contact Jim Clough, 451-5030.

Alaska Miners Association http://www.alaskaminers.org/ The Anchorage branch of the AMA holds weekly meetings at 7 AM every Friday at the Denny’s on Northern Lights and Denali. They hold regular luncheon meetings in association with SME. For more information, contact the AMA office at 563-9229.

American Institute of Professional Geologists http://www.aipg.org AIPG holds regular quarterly evening Section meet-ings in Anchorage and Fairbanks. For more infor-mation contact Mark Lockwood, President, at Shan-non & Wilson, Inc., in Fairbanks, 907-458-3142.

Chugach Gem & Mineral Society http://www.chugachgms.org CG&MS holds all meetings at the First United Methodist Church on 9th Avenue. Contact their hotline at 566-3403 for information on regular monthly business meetings, monthly potlucks, and guidebook sales, including the new Alaska Rockhound Guidebook.

Geophysical Society of Alaska http://gsa.seg.org/ Luncheon meetings are held monthly Septem-ber through May at the ConocoPhillips Tower. For more information, contact Daniel Yancey, [email protected]

Society of Petroleum Engineers http://alaska.spe.org/

UAS Environmental Science Program http://www.uas.alaska.edu/envs

National Association of Geology Teachers (NAGT) http://w

Enhanced Alaska Digital Well Log Data Since 1989

OCS, 95 out of 100 Alaska OCS wells. Mud logs for some. North Aleutian Basin wells, onshore and offshore. North Slope, 556 wildcats and key field wells. Kuparuk River Field, first 567 wells drilled (pre-1985). Southern Alaska, 1063 wells including all wildcats and many field wells. Directional surveys for most.

All digital log files Are depth shifted to match resistivity curves. Have core data rendered as a depth-shifted well log

curve. Have SP both in original form and as a straightened

curve. Have standardized mnemonics. Have Volume of Shale curves, derived from gamma

ray for North Slope, derived from SP for Cook Inlet. Allow you to specify your own choice of mnemonics

before delivery. Are updated periodically with new wildcat wells. Are delivered in LAS 2.0 format.

Contact Dan Shier:

303-278-1261 [email protected] www.rockypine.com


Alaska Geological Society, Inc. P. O. Box 101288 Anchorage, AK 99510

2012 ‐ 2013 Alaska Geological Society Board

Commi ees and Delegates

Phone e-mail Workplace President Art Banet banetak at gci.net BLM emeritus Past-President Ken Helmold 269-8673 Ken.helmold at alaska.gov AK DOG President-Elect Matt Frankforter 777-8376 Mfrankforter at hilcorp.com Hilcorp Alaska, LLC Vice-President Monte Mabry 564-4028 Monte.mabry at bp.com BP Treasurer Al Hunter 777-8324 Paleoman at mac.com Secretary Eric Cannon 344-6001 Eccannon at gmail.com Golder Associate Inc. Director 12-2014 Chad Hults 786-7417 Chults at usgs.gov USGS Director 12-2014 Trystan Herriott 451-5011 trystan.herriott at alaska.gov DGGS Director 12-2014 Kirk Sherwood 334-5337 Kirk.Sherwood at boem.gov BOEM Director 11-2013 Tom Homza 770-3701 Thomas.Homza at shell.com Shell Director 11-2013 Tom Morahan 230-1672 tmorahan at petroak.com ConocoPhillips (PRA) Director 11-2013 Jim Brown 276-2675 Jbrown at alaskapacific.edu Alaska Pacific University

AAPG Delegate & David Hite 258-9059 Hitelamb at alaska.net Geological Consultant Advertising Keith Torrance 264-4506 Kwtorrance at uaa.alaska.edu Univ. of Alaska Anchorage Com. Ed./Science Fair Jana DaSilva Lage 677-7883 Jldasilva5 at hotmail.com AeroMetric Field Trips Chad Hults 788-7417 Chults at usgs.gov USGS Bylaws Sue Karl 786-7428 Skarl at usgs.gov USGS Memberships Ken Helmold 269-8673 Ken.helmold at alaska.gov AK DOG Newsletter Editor Ken Helmold 269-8673 Ken.helmold at alaska.gov AK DOG Publications Peter Johnson 334-5329 Peter.Johnson at boem.gov BOEM Scholarship Sue Karl 786-7428 Skarl at usgs.gov USGS Website Jan Hazen Jan at homestead-graphics.com Consultant Fundraising Sunny Foster 269-8707 Sunny.Remmy at Alaska.gov DNR / DOG

Phone e-mail Workplace

apache exploring alaska’s cook inlet with a bottom’s up ... 2013 newsletter.pdf · volume 43...

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