A Publication of the Wyoming Geological Association Established Volume XIV, No. 4 Ap ril 2018

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1 A Publication of the Wyoming Geological Association Established 1943 Volume XIV, No. 4 Ap ril 2018 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE This month s letter is starting off on a bit of a somber note. Our group recently lost two well known geologists this last month. Bob Wellborn and Wallace Reeves. I have known both Bob and Wally for most of my life and I have enjoyed the time I was able to spend with them. Our condolences go out to their families. They will be greatly missed. Just a quick note regarding this year s WGA fieldtrip. While details are still coming together, and I don t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet, I can tell you that this year s fieldtrip is shaping up to be an exciting one. Please keep your colanders flexible and I hope you will join us this summer. Becky Good and Anne Marquard are doing an excellent job heading the trip up this year. Upcoming WGA Luncheon Meetings and other Events Unless otherwise noted, luncheons are at 11:15 AM and presentations at 12 noon every Friday. Those not purchasing lunch are welcom ed to tip th e ven u e staf f. F R E E ice tea an d cof fee (if available) for a $5 tip.. Black Gold Grille, 1650 W. English Ave., Casper, WY, (307) Meeting dates, speakers, venues, and topics are subject to change. Check with for updates LUNCHEON TOPIC SPEAKER AFFILIATION 6-Apr Hyper Scratcher Technology John D. Tuttle Sinclair Well Products 13-Apr Mass Spectrometers for Well Optimization Joe Large Mojo 20-Apr Research Group Recent topics Brandon McElroy UW Geology 27-Apr Energy in Wyoming & the World: Critical Choices John Hebberger Jr Retired Geologist PLEASE MAKE RESERVATIONS: info@wyogeo.org or (307) Contact WGA to have your added to the courtesy reminder list. WGA Contact April 2018

2 Friday, April 6, 2018 Topic: Speaker: Hyper Scratcher Technology John D. Tuttle Affiliation: Sinclair Well Products Partner/Manager Tuttle Summary: John is Partner/Manager of Sinclair Well Products and Sinclair Equipment, LLC. Sinclair Well Products, Inc was established in California in 1987 to support multiple Drilling Industries (including O&G, Geothermal, HDD, Minerals/Mining, Waterwell, Environmental, GeoFoundation, and others), and the company is fully diversified to support these industries from our major facilities in Cerritos, Vacaville, Shafter/Bakersfield, and Carson City, Nevada. We have supported projects throughout the Western US, including State and Federal offshore waters, plus International arenas including Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America (Belize/Guatemala), Sweden, Africa, and other areas. Sinclair provides drilling, workover and completion fluids additives and technical support services, unique casing and liner cleaning technologies (including WellGrounded s HyperScratcher tool), Casagrande Foundation drilling rigs (for rent and for sale) and related services, capital equipment sourcing, and drilling waste management services. John has been personally involved with the O&G and other drilling Industries since BLM's updated 2018 land grid can be accessed here: WGA Contact April

3 Friday, April 13, 2018 Topic: Speaker: Using a Portable Mass Spectrometer to Streamline Drilling Procedures Joe Large, Field Operations Manager Affiliation: Mojo Geological Consulting Summary: Advances in MWD and LWD tools allow teams to maximize exposure to target and drill smoother wells. Competition advances are allowing higher recovery percentages. Pay zone identification within a formation will enable maximum exposure of the wellbore to the sweetspot. Real time identification of porosities, fractures and faults in the well can help optimize completions and regional modeling. Ratios can be used to infer increases and decreases in water content, quality of hydrocarbons and fingerprint individual hydrocarbon sources. Compartmentalization techniques can be used to optimize geosteering and completion procedures, and bit generated gases can be used to infer whether low penetrations rates are due to damaged bits. Bio: J oseph Lar ge is Field Oper ations Manager for Mojo Geological Consulting. Overseeing the operation, interpretation and daily reporting of Quadrupole Mass Spectrometers units on drilling sites in the Powder River Basin. Joe is a 13-year veteran of wellsite geology, in the Rocky Mountain region, directly sitting or overseeing over 300 wells in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. Joe was the President and partner of RPM Geologic from 2010 to He oversaw or directly performed work for Oasis Petroleum, Samson Resources, QEP, Slawson Energy and others. Joe is a native of Central Virginia, is an honorably discharged US Airforce veteran and has a Bachelor of Science in Geosciences from Virginia Tech where he was president of the Honors Fraternity. WGA Contact April

4 Friday, April 20, 2018 Topic: Prediction and Paleohydraulics Speaker: Brandon McElroy Affiliation: UW Dept. of Geology & Geophysics McElroy Summary: Understanding Earth s past environments and their sedimentary record requires quantitative inverse models for sedimentary processes derived from modern environments and experiments. Within the context of fluvio-deltaic strata, it is currently possible to reconstruct a wide range of parameters detailing conditions in sediment transport networks as well as their broader environments. However, existing models have limited precision largely owing to substantial uncertainty in modern measurements. While it is possible to identify scales at which particular inverse models are best applied, enhancing predictive and explanatory power of these models requires better constrained modern relationships. Despite this rather gloomy picture, there are many questions that can be appropriately addressed connected to the application of sediment mass conservation. Specifically, I will address recently developed methods for gleaning information at scales from basin architecture to morphodynamic scales of bedforms, bars, and channels. Bio: Dr. McElroy has been Assistant Professor of Sedimentology and Surface Processes in the University of Wyoming Department of Geology & Geophysics since He has degrees in Geoscience from University of Michigan and University of Texas. His research group focuses on sedimentary processes and their application to interpreting Earth s geologic history. They use a suite of field and experimental methods to develop and refine relationships between fluvio-deltaic strata, their transport systems, and their environmental conditions. WGA Contact April 2018

5 Friday, April 27, 2018 Topic: Speaker: Energy in Wyoming & the World: Critical Choices & Costs John Hebberger Jr Affiliation: Retired Geologist Hebberger Jr Summary: This talk will explain how our 7.5 billion person global society has developed over the past 150 years, through its dependence on cheap & abundant energy. It will explore how the energy mix has changed through time, & where the global growth in energy use will primarily come from. The talk will emphasize and demonstrate how ALL sources of energy have multiple and often unrecognized costs, costs that extend far beyond simple monetary ones. The talk will also explore the future out to ~2030 and then the end of this century (2100), looking at the possible mix of energy sources that might be used by our global society to meet its growing needs. It will explore the range of predictions, both gloomy and optimistic for our society s future in terms of its future energy needs. In conclusion it will emphasize how absolutely important it will be for our national and global society to find effective answers to the question of where future energy needs will be met. Bio: John is a resident of Jackson, Wyoming, living happily with wife Sue since BS/MS Geology, University of Missouri, Columbia, 1974 & He retired from a nearly 3 decade career with Chevron Corporation in John filled technical and management/ leadership roles domestically & internationally, and is involved in multiple volunteer efforts and positions on non-profit boards in Teton County. WGA Contact April

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7 1 2 3 EVERYTHING MUST GO FREE to the first WGA member through the door... A huge collection of high quality stereo pair air photos covering much of Wyoming and other states. WGA Contact April

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10 Bob Wellborn, Robert Edward Wellborn Jr., age 88, passed peacefully in his Casper home with family by his side on January 19, Bob graduated in Geological Engineering from Kansas University, where he received the prestigious Haworth Award in Geology. Shortly after accepting a position with Chevron in Shreveport, LA, he was drafted into the army. During the Korean War, Bob served as an instructor in the Petroleum Products Analysis section. After graduate school at Berkeley, Chevron sent Bob to Grand Junction, CO, where he met his future wife Jody. Bob continued to work as a geologist for Chevron, Burton and Hawks, and Wold Oil and Gas. Bob was a member of WGA for 53 years. He and his family were able to join their friends in the professional community at WGA s 2017 Christmas party. Bob was a long time member of AAPG, and published many papers on his various geological prospects. Wallace K. Reaves (Wally) passed away on Tuesday, March 13, Since the 1960 s, Wally has been a geologist within the Casper community. He came to Casper in 1962 working originally for Conoco, left Conoco in the early 70 s and began consulting for the rest of his career. For the past 20 years he consulted primarily for Goolsby, Finley & Associates. One of his legacies was picking the top and base of every coal in the Powder River Basin. Many of you know him, as he was a frequent attendee for WGA lunches. He never Wallace K. Reaves, missed an event if he could help it. Wally lived as he desired, at his own home until the last few days of his life. In recent years, Wally recreated the 1949 Pontiac convertible in which he and his beloved wife Geraldine had taken their honeymoon in Wally and the yellow top -down Pontiac were a familiar site around town and at WOGCC. Wally served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Memorial contributions may be made to the Honor Flight, Inc., Attn: Diane Gresse, 175 S. Tuttle Rd., Springfield, OH WGA Contact April

11 API: US Petroleum Demand in February Hit 20.3 Million b/d Led by gasoline and seasonal demand for heating fuels, US petroleum demand hit 20.3 million b/d in February. Demand was up by more than 1 million b/d from February 2017, nearing record highs not seen for more than a decade, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The economy and energy demand have continued to show solid momentum so far in 2018, said API Chief Economist Dean Foreman. With US oil and NGL production at record levels and a resilient industry value chain that has absorbed the growth consumers are benefiting from this momentum and enjoying affordable and reliable fuels made right here at home. The strength in US petroleum demand is consistent with indicators that the macroeconomic backdrop has remained solid. However, crude prices declined in February after seven consecutive monthly increases. International crude oil prices fell by more than domestic ones (5.4% for Brent vs. 2.3% for WTI) in February. WTI crude oil prices averaged $62.23/bbl, down 2.3% from January, while Brent averaged $65.32/ bbl for the month, down 5.4% from January. At these prices, US supply achieved new highs for production in February of crude oil (10.3 million b/d) and natural gas liquids (4.1 million b/d). US refineries also processed crude and other feedstocks (16.4 million b/d) at record levels for the month, which displaced petroleum imports other than a seasonal winter need for distillate. In addition, the US rig count climbed to 984 rigs as of Mar. 9 and has averaged 959 rigs through this year s first quarter; this represents an increase of 4% above the average for fourth-quarter 2017 and should position US production for continued growth. Oil and Gas Journal, 3/15/2018 WGA Contact April

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14 Wyoming Geological Association, 2018 P.O. Box 545 Casper, WY (307) Fax (307) President Matt Larson WGA OFFICERS Past President Phil Nickerson President-Elect Rebecca Good 1st Vice President Anne Marquard AAPG Delegates Melanie Peterson Office Administrator, Advertising & Membership Dixie Eaton Continuing Education Ralph Specht Field Conference Please contact board for info WGA COMMITTEES Nomenclature & Stratigraphy Carl Babb Gary Winter Lyn George Paleontological Resources Brent Breithaupt RMS-AAPG Julia Lemaster Lyn George Scholarships Kent Sundell nd Vice President Scott Ellingson Secretary/Treasurer Melanie Peterson Editor Mark Milliken Geowives Joanie Dunlap Historical Con Trumbull Library & Mudlogs Arnold Woods Social media Barb McGavern-Atkinson SPE Liaison Dave Chase U.W. Liaison Phil Nickerson CONTACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE 15th of each preceding month All ads must be prepaid. Send ad and payment to Full Page 7.5 x 9.5 1/2 Page 7.5 x 4.5 1/4 Page 3.5 x 4.5 Business Card 3.5 x 2 $100/month $1000/year $50/month $500/year $25/month $250/year $10/month $100/year WGA, PO Box 545, Casper WY Various Sizes $3.50 per column inch per month ($10 minimum) Advertising space is also available in the membership directory and the annual field conference guidebook. Discounts are available for advertising in all three publications. WGA Contact April