SPEAKER. 4 February University of Wyoming Engineering and Applied Science Programs Speaker: Rob Ettema and Andy Hansen

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1 C NT CT A P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e W y o m i n g G e o l o g i c a l A s s o c i a t i o n V o l u m e T, N o. 2 F e b r u a r y PR ESIDE NT S MESSAGE Graeme Finley I have already learned a valuable lesson as President; if we put the word Shale into the title of a talk, people will show up in droves. Andy Finley s Niobrara Shale talk in December drew a crowd of 116, and January s Mowry Shale talk by Robert Sterling drew 108. The most refreshing thing about those kinds of attendance numbers is that we had people from all industry-related professions, including bankers, engineers, geologists, land men, and the government. I have mentioned before and will mention again, that the WGA is hosting the Rocky Mountain Section meeting of the AAPG this June in Cheyenne. This meeting is the lifeblood of the WGA for the year, as we will not be having our Annual Field Conference. I know the RMS Committee chaired by Lyn George is still looking for presentations, posters, field trip stop leaders and sponsors. A recent visit to the WGA office has presented me with an opportunity to offer the WGA membership. We have a set of PI cards that was donated to the WGA. We share space with the Casper Log Library, which currently has 2 sets of PI cards. That means that we can offer the PI cards to you at the low, low price of FREE! Seriously though, if you are interested in a set of PI cards, please contact Beth Anderson at the WGA Office. We d really like to find a good home for these cards, and we can t store them forever. On a final note, I would like to put in another plug for the WGA website (wyogeo.org). We are keeping the website up to date with the weekly talks, there is an archive of current newsletters, and you can find information on upcoming events that are of interest to the membership. Check it out today! Sincerely, Graeme Finley Table of Contents Luncheon Abstracts p. 2 Hear Ye, Hear Ye! p. 3 From The Editor p. 4 Professional Development p. 5 Members Corner p The Geologic Record pp. 8 Grains, Matrix, Cement p. 9 Professional Services pp WGA Contact Information p. 13 Special Events p Calendar Quick Reference p. 16 See this publication in FABULOUS COLOR & TEXTURE!!! Check out the easy, new WGA website at: Upco ming 2011 WGA Luncheon Meeti ngs Meetings: At Casper Petroleum Club, unless noted. Lunch: Buffet ($10.50), served 11:15a.m. to noon. Speakers Presentations: Begin at noon. Guests: Always Welcome! Reservations: info@wyogeo.org or call and leave a message at WGA office February 11 February 18 February 25 February Rob Ettema and Andy Hansen Dan Clark Mike Sullivan Joint Meeting/SPE Trayce Rauscher UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS URANIUM WASTE SALT CREEK TERTIARY FLOO LOOD: CURRENT C AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND SURVEILLANCE TECHNIQUES

2 FEBRUARY 2011 LUNCHEON SPEAKER ABSTRACTS EBRUARY 2011 L 4 February University of Wyoming Engineering and Applied Science Programs Speaker: Rob Ettema and Andy Hansen Rob Ettema is the Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Wyoming. He and his colleague, Andy Hansen, the Head of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, will be presenting a general update on the University's engineering programs, with a focus on the petroleum engineering program. 11 February Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs Speaker: Dan Clark Dan Clark is the department Ombudsman. Specifically, the primary role of the Ombudsman is to facilitate open communications between the general public and the department programs which regulate environmental activities in the state. The Ombudsman also coordinates with the various environmental programs in the department and aids in investigating and resolving complaints and disputes from the public. In this capacity, Dan responds to requests from the public for assistance and information on environmental issues. He also facilitates communication between the department and entities in the state which are subject to environmental rules and regulations. Dan can be reached in his office at , by cell phone at or by at dclark@wyo.gov. 18 February Uranium Waste Speaker: Mike Sullivan Mike Sullivan received a BS in Petroleum Engineering and a law degree at the University of Wyoming. Sullivan practiced law with the firm of Brown, Drew, Apostolos, Massey, and Sullivan for 20 and then ran for Governor in Governor Sullivan won the election and took office on January 7, He was reelected for a second term and served until January 7, The former Governor continues to be active in the Democratic Party and was appointed United States Ambassador to Ireland, from 1999 to He is currently a partner at the firm of Rothgerber, Johnson, & Lyons in Casper. He recently participated in a Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future open meeting. 25 February Salt Creek Flood: Current and Future Development and Surveillance Techniques Speaker: Trayce Rauscher Century old Salt Creek Field in Wyoming continues to be revitalized through the CO2 flooding and innovative surveillance techniques. Tertiary development of the targeted Wall Creek 2 Sand is nearly complete with the commissioning of phase 7. The addition of Wall Creek 1 Sand and minor horizons flooding promises exciting opportunities and new challenges as co-development continues. Lessons learned from phases 1-4 have played a key role in this development by allowing a cost effective, optimized design in phases 5-7. The improvements range from resolving operational issues and data acquisition to better reservoir management techniques. The surveillance team works diligently to optimize the Salt Creek Field and to take this CO2 flood into the next century. Trayce Rauscher is a Senior Production Engineer for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation in Midwest. She has been in her current position for 5.5 years and prior to that worked for Anadarko in Houston. Trayce holds a BS in Petroleum Engineering from Montana Tech. Page 2 CONTACT February 2011

3 HEAR YE, HEAR YE! CONTACT February 2011 Page 3

4 FROM THE EDITOR As mentioned in the January WGA Newsletter, we would like to bring a few different things to our fine publication this year, and have YOU, our wonderful membership, involved with that! So, in keeping with that member-centered theme, I would like to offer the following question as the topic of this month s Member Focus Area: What has been your Most Memorable Geological Moment? Meaning, for example: During your early education? your teachers, mentors Throughout your professional career?...your successes/losses In your personal life? teaching your children or others I would be so pleased to hear your responses so that we may share them with our membership in future publications of the WGA s CONTACT. Regarding this month s question (above), kindly me your responses, at: ooidgirl@bresnan.net or batkinson@trihydro.com and please title your subject line as MEMBER FOCUS QUESTION... I do hope we have some interest in this new Member Focus Area of our newsletter. Thank you for supporting the WGA and your WGA newsletter! Please do not ever hesitate to offer ideas for material, news, etc. to include into the newsletter from time to time. I can be reached at batkinson@trihydro.com; (work), or at ooidgirl@bresnan.net; (cell) Page 4 CONTACT February 2011

5 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONTACT February 2011 Page 5

6 MEMBERS EMBERS CORNERC C I suppose the Mmmm geology! tagline in January s WGA Newsletter caught Tom Anderson s eye (and stomach) as he submitted the following article and photomontage of the Anderson household s Christmas-time tectonic treat. Mmmm geology! So, a big thanks to Tom, our first contributor to the new Member s Corner the place where members can submit light-hearted tidbits of interest, whimsy, humor, or stories of geological adventures, photos, quotes,.and the list goes on and on and on. Editor s Note: Now, c mon.. We all played with our food when we were kids, right? Tom just shows us that geologists don t ever outgrow it! (And by the way, I can make a really mean oolitic ooze dessert!). Do you have a geology-inspired dessert, like Tom s tectonic treat, that you would like to share? Structural Geology Fun with JELL-O! Made from Beth Anderson s 8-layer JELL-O Salad recipe, this dessert usually has 14 separate layers, all in unique colors, but this one (below) was for Christmas, so it s just red and green....enjoy! Page 6 CONTACT February 2011

7 MEMBERS EMBERS CORNERC C CONTACT February 2011 Page 7

8 THE GEOLOGIC RECORD (OF OPINION) Here is where you, as WGA members, can contribute your thoughts and opinions toward various subjects of interest in the world of geological science/research, energy and exploration, geoscience education, policy-making, business and marketing trends, employment outlook, whatever you feel is front and center in the way of geology and the world today. You can pose a question. Posit a solution. Request feedback from peers on an issue close to you and, perhaps, others, we well. Whatever you think about, whatever affects you, whatever is a mere interest or passionate concern of yours...submit you ideas, thoughts, situations in an to: ooidgirl@bresnan.net; and please title the subject of your The Geologic Record. We cannot promise that every submission will appear here in the Newsletter, but we will certainly try to accommodate as many members submissions as possible, in some way. So, c mon!...cement your opinions, here, in The Geologic Record! Editor s Note: For the first publication of The Geologic Record, I was searching through old papers and all that stuff that seems to accumulate in our filing cabinets and boxes over the years...and I found an article from Summer 1994, that was published in Ohio Geology, a quarterly publication of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey, that I used to receive while growing up in Clark County, Ohio. Something caught my eye, and in reading it, I thought it might be interesting to republish it here (at right) for you, and ask the question: What has changed in the nearly 15 years since Division Chief and State Geologist, at that time, Thomas Berg, wrote these words, On The Selling Of The Geological Sciences? NOTE: This photo and accompanying letter (at right) are excerpted from the Summer 1994 publication Ohio Geology Page 8 CONTACT February 2011

9 GRAINS RAINS,, MATRIXM ATRIX,, CEMENTC, M, C This is a new section for the WGA newsletter especially for all you true geo-nerds who just can t get enough of geology for geology s sake.... You know, those of you who opted for a beautiful piece of chrome dioptase instead of the old traditional diamond wedding band or those of you who have more rocks gathering dust in your garage and curio cabinets than those that naturally inhabit your backyard....just random geological tidbits of goodness here all the things that hold our great science together. Just like grains, matrix, and cement! This section is all for you... We hope you find it to be a gneiss addition! Fossil of the month: Tube Worm Tubeworms are primitive animals that live in the mud, absorbing sulfides through their flower-shaped heads. Sulfides are converted into food by colonies of chemicaleating bacteria inside the tubeworms. The tube is the only hard part that survives to become a fossil. It's a tough shell of chitin, the same material covering crabs and the outer skeletons of insects. On the right is a modern tubeworm tube; the fossil tubeworm on the left is embedded in shale that was once seafloor mud. The fossil is of latest Cretaceous age, about 66 million years old. Tubeworms today are found in and near seafloor vents of both the hot and cold variety, where dissolved hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide supply the worm's chemotrophic bacteria with the raw material they need for life. The fossil is a sign that a similar environment existed during the Cretaceous. Mineral of the month: Andorite Chemical Formula: PbAgSb3S6 (Named for Andor von Semsey ( ), Hungarian nobleman who was an amateur mineralologist). Color: Dark steel grey Luster: Metallic Streak: Black Transparency: Opaque System: Orthorhomic Cleavage: None Habit: Prismatic and striated crystals Hardness: 3.5 Density: g/cm 3 Fracture: Conchoidal Associated minerals: stannite, quartz, silver, pyrite, arsenopyrite Notable Occurrences: In the USA, at the Keyser mine, Morey district, Nye Co., Nevada; in the Thompson mine, Darwin district, Inyo Co., California; and at Bear Basin, King Co., Washington. Photo of the month Where in the world? Can you guess where this photograph was taken?.. Photo/source: Mineral Photos from (Hint: Answer on back page of newsletter, p. 14, beneath calendar) Photo/source: Andrew Alden, Geo-word of the month: metasomatism (meta so ma tism) Metamorphism that involves changes in the chemical composition of rock, as well as changes in the texture of rock. CONTACT February 2011 Page 9

10 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Page 10 CONTACT February 2011

11 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTACT February 2011 Page 11

12 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Guess what??!!! WGA Fall Field Conference Guidebooks and CDs HAVE ARRIVED!! Please contact Beth Anderson at or call to get your own copy now! Page 12 CONTACT February 2011

13 CONTACT INFORMATION Wyoming Geological Association P.O. Box 545 Casper, WY (307) Fax (307) WGA 2011 OFFICERS President Graeme Finley Goolsby, Finley & Associates President-Elect JoAnn True True Oil 1st Vice President Mike Hawks Linc Energy 2nd Vice President Julia Lemaster Goolsby, Finley & Associates Secretary/Treasurer Amber Robbins Bureau of Land Management Editor Barb McGavern-Atkinson Trihydro Corporation Past President Steve Reid Consulting Geologist WGA 2011 AAPG Delegates Mike Kozimko Tom Anderson Advertising & Office Administrator Beth Anderson Continuing Education Ralph Specht Dance Martha Horn Field Conference 2011 General Chair Lyn George Library Dean Stilwell Membership & Directory Beth Anderson COMMITTEES Nomenclature Committee Carl Babb Don Cardinal Gary Winter Paleontological Resources Brent Breithaupt Publicity & Environmental Issues Rémelle Burton Olson Scholarship Kent Sundell SPE Liaison Dave Chase Stratigraphic Committee Carl Babb Don Cardinal Lyn George Gary Winter U.W. Liaison Amber Robbins CONTACT Submission deadline for March 2011 issue is Friday, February 14th. All ads must be prepaid. Send ad and payment to: WGA PO Box 545, Casper WY CONTACT ADVERTISING RATES 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 Various Sizes $3.50 per column inch per month ($10 minimum) $100/month $1000/year $50/month $500/year $25/month $250/year $10/month $100/year Advertising space is also available in the membership directory and the annual field conference guidebook. Discounts are available for advertising in all three publications. CONTACT February 2011 Page 13

14 Check out these great geology related summer camps hosted by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology! Geology Field Camp gives students a chance to experience college life in an outdoor setting. Campers will have roommates in tents, eat outdoor cooking, visit the Museum of Geology, library and research labs, and go on field trips to see geologists in action! This is truly a field camp experience!...this camp is a taste of what a geologyfocused career will be like! Youth Geology Field Camp! Q: Who should attend? A: Grade school students and high school students thinking of a career in geology, geological engineering or paleontology, as well as students interested in earth systems science! Q: What s involved? A: Through daily field trips, participants will learn about: Minerals, rocks and fossils Basic geology Oil and gas exploration and production Using topographic maps Understand geologic maps Water, landslides, and earthquakes Volcanoes and magmas Geology of the Black Hills The creation of mountains and landforms Living the life of a field geologist for five days! SPECIAL EVENTS June 5 8, 2011 Grades 6 8 June 12 17, 2011 Grades 9 12 If you know of students who may be interested, please pass this information along to them! For more information and to register, please visit or call (605) ! Page 14 CONTACT February 2011

15 SPECIAL EVENTS SAVE THE DATE! If you have any questions about the WGA Geowives Spring Dinner and Dance, please call Joanie Dunlap at CONTACT February 2011 Page 15

16 Wyoming Geological Association P.O. Box 545 Casper, Wyoming Website: Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Casper, Wyoming Permit No. 299 Sunday Monday Deadline to sponsor API Chili Cook-off off Tuesday February 2011 Wednesday Thursday Friday R.Ettema & R.Hanson - UW Engineering/Sci Saturday PTTC Work- shop (Feb 8/9) (see p.5) 9 PTTC Work- shop (Feb 8/9) (see p.5) D.Clark - Small Business Environmental Assist. Programs M.Sullivan - Uranium Waste SPE/WGA Trayce Rauscher PTTC Workshop (see p.5) 19 API Chili Cook-off off Answer (from p 9): Fort Rock (near Silver Lake, Oregon) is really the eroded insides of a tuff ring. These form when magma rises into a lake, as was the case during Ice Age times in Oregon. When a small volcano erupted in a lake in central Oregon, the reaction of magma and water resulted in a maar that built a ring-shaped body of cemented ash or tuff along the rim of the crater. Fort Rock is really the eroded insides of a tuff ring. These form when magma rises into a lake, as was the case during Ice Age times in Oregon. When a small volcano erupted in a lake in central Oregon, the reaction of magma and water resulted in a maar that built a ring-shaped body of cemented ash or tuff along the rim of the crater. The lake waters later eroded into the tuff ring, breaching one side, and later still the lake dried up. The result is Fort Rock, a National Natural Landmark. Page 16 CONTACT February 2011