October 2013

October 2013
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
FEATURED GEOLOGICAL PICTURE .................... 1
PRESIDENT’S CORNER ........................................ 2
UPCOMING LUNCHEON ........................................ 4
PHOTO WALL ........................................................ 5
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR ..................................... 8
THE GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY ........................... 9
FOCUS ON FUNDAMENTALS ............................. 10
SGA NEWS ........................................................... 11
LIST OF ADVERTISERS ....................................... 12
WORD ON THE STREET ...................................... 13
GENERAL NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS ............ 14
LOCAL HISTORY ................................................. 15
BLAST FROM THE PAST ..................................... 16
LETTERS TO SGS ................................................ 17
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION.............................. 21
CONTACT LIST .................................................... 22
CALENDAR OF EVENTS...................................... 24
October SGS
Luncheon
Thursday
October 10th
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Le Pavillon
Gravier Room
$30.00 pp (member)
$35.00 pp (non-member)
RSVP
Erin Brenneman
e.brenneman@chevron.com
Featured Geological Picture
Another amazing geological picture from Sardegna, Italia,, courtesy of Art
Christensen. The second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Sardegna
is an ancient geoformation dating from the Palaeozoic consisting of extensive
highlands eroded by wide alluvial valleys and flatlands. If anyone would like
to comment on the geology pictured here, send it in!
President’s Corner
little routine SGS activities unwaveringly.
Dear SGS members,
One of the things I looked forward to when I
transferred here in New Orleans is living in one of those
regal old houses in the Garden District. Unfortunately,
the compensation package for a local QI geophysicist
didn’t quite make the pay grade for renting, let alone,
owning a house especially those close to St. Charles
Avenue in full view of the iconic New Orleans
streetcars. In the end, I had to settle for a property in
the Broadmoor district, which at 96 years old, is much
more gorgeous than many one-, ten- or 21-yr. old
(houses of course!). While certainly not as grand as the
mansions along St. Charles, the house has all the charm
and style that we associate with the Crescent City.
Indeed, just coming home makes me feel like owning a
little piece of New Orleans history.
My new house – though the phrase is really an
oxymoron –quickly reminded me within few weeks of
moving in, of how challenging it is to be a homeowner
in this city. There’s tremendous amount of resource
and time that one must expend to make the house live
up to its legacy. Certainly its unique appearance and
distinguishing attributes comes with a hefty price… and
no I’m not only talking about monetary costs. For
something this old to be still in superbly wonderful
condition requires not just money but a constant and
unwavering passion for upkeep. It is during one of
these mundane daily chores to maintain the house that
it dawned on me how one must view their membership
to the Southeastern Geophysical Society. Participation
in SGS activities is like a tedious household task, that no
matter how ordinary it appears to each member, its
long-term outcome is one that is truly exceptional and
brings collective pride to a group bigger than ourselves.
Much like maintaining a quaint but historic house,
making SGS live up to its legacy in New Orleans
community requires its constituents to take part in the
little routine SGS activities unwaveringly.
There are many forms of “maintenance” that we do as
members of the SGS to keep it relevant and attractive
There are many forms of “maintenance” that we do as
members of the SGS to keep it relevant and attractive
to the geophysical community in New Orleans. The
monthly luncheon is one such event. This month we
have Western Geco’s Chief geologist Carl Fiduk talk
about their company’s most advanced seismic data and
its impact to understanding the regional geology of
GOM. I can already tell just from reading the abstract of
Fiduk’s presentation that attending his talk will be an
exciting task that I’d gladly more often. Another activity
that is intended to enliven our SGS house is the Fall
socials – a putt-putt event – that is meant to enhance
camaraderie and fellowship among our members. I
think of these kinds of activities as the house parties
that people hosts to make their house feel like home.
These activities might at first appear trivial yet it is thru
active participation in them that we benefit fully from
our membership to a professional organization with
such storied legacy as the SGS.
An equally important note to make is that our
involvement in SGS events does have broader positive
impact to many New Orleanians. In the past few days,
we have received letters and messages from the
Children’s Hospital, STEM and our scholarship awardees
all signifying gratitude to SGS and commending our
involvement in the community. We should all be proud
that our modest individual efforts to support SGS
activities eventually translate to concrete charitable
acts that benefits even people from outside the
geophysical circles. In many ways, this comes back full
circle to why I expend immense energy and resource in
maintaining my newly-purchased house. For just like
the being active in SGS, the little things I do daily for its
upkeep translates to something that ultimately upholds
the wellbeing of the community and sustain a great
New Orleans tradition.
- Julius
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October Luncheon Presentation
The Most Advanced Exploration and Development
Interpretation Images in Deepwater, Gulf of Mexico: Latest
Dual Coil Shooting Revolution Survey Results
By Dr Carl Fiduk
Abstract:
WesternGeco has acquired seven seismic surveys using Dual Coil Shooting* multivessel full-azimuth acquisition in the most prospective areas of the deepwater Gulf
of Mexico. These advanced multiclient surveys are providing the most detailed and
complete subsalt images to the industry. Discover how this unique technology is
evolving into the tool of choice for regional exploration, prospect appraisal, and
field development. An interpretation review of the Revolution II dataset over the
Tahiti, Stampede, Bigfoot, and Cesar/Tonga fields and the Revolution III dataset
covering Hadrian/Lucius and Buckskin will be presented.
Speaker Biography:
Carl Fiduk, Chief Geologist, WesternGeco
Carl has a B.S. and M.S. degree in Geology from the University of
Florida, an M.B.A degree from the University of Texas of the Permian
Basin and a Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics from the University of
Texas at Austin. He has worked for the USGS, Gulf Oil, Discovery
Logging, the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, British Petroleum,
Texas A&M University, the University of Texas, the University of
Colorado, as a private consultant, and Chief Geologist for CGG and
CGGVeritas. He is currently Chief Geologist for WesternGeco in
Houston, TX. His research interests cover coastal and shelfal clastic deposition, salt structural
deformation and evolution, basin analysis, shelf margin to deep marine depositional processes,
marine sedimentology, petroleum systems analysis, and the use of three-dimensional seismic data in
petroleum exploration. He is currently involved in salt-sediment interaction research in the Flinders
Ranges, South Australia, fluvial deltaic deposition in the Cretaceous Seaway of NW Colorado, and
deep marine stratigraphic analysis in the Gulf of Mexico. He teaches internal training classes on
seismic interpretation and salt tectonics for WesternGeco and external industry courses for Nautilus
U.S.A. and local geologic societies. Carl is a Certified Petroleum Geologist and a member of AAPG,
SEG, the Society for Sedimentary Geology, the Houston Geological Society, and Geophysical Society
of Houston. He is also the current president-elect of the Gulf Coast Section SEPM. In his 30+ years
working as a geologist, he has published over 70 peer-reviewed abstracts and papers.
Photo Wall
Michael Smith – Geotrace VP of Reservoir
Technologies, presenter
Helga Stein – Geotrace account manager
SGS September Luncheon
Thanks to all that came to help us kick
Photos courtesy of Art Christensen
off our first technical presentation of the
year with Michael Smith, Geotrace VP of
Reservoir Technologies, giving a talk on
reducing risk using a stochastic process
and inversion to rock properties. We had a good turnout, and hope the momentum
continues as we head into October. While our joint short course with NOGS, originally
planned for November, has been postponed due to speaker scheduling conflicts, we hope
you continue to enjoy our presentations.
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Note From the Editor
Patricia Yu
sgseditor@yahoo.com
Hi Folks!
Thanks for making the first technical luncheon this year a success. The EC is still busy putting together the fall
southshore social, so more info to come soon. If anyone that was at SEG would have any comments or
pictures to share, we would love for you to send them in! The Chevron Walk for AIDS was also this past
weekend, with a strong turnout from many local organizations. As reminder, there are also a ton of events
coming up from GCAGS, Gem and Mineral Society of Louisiana and STEM. We’ve also receieved some nice
thank you letters from our sponsored donations that are posted in the Letters to SGS section.
If you haven’t already, please consider renewing your membership to not only support our local geophysical
network, but also for benefits at luncheons and socials, and access to scholarships. We have had some notices
that the paypal option on the site has been problematic for some folks. If so, please let us know, so we can
look into the issue. I would also like to reiterate our call for sponors and advertisers.
As always, we welcome any articles or pictures to be shared with our community.
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The Gem & Mineral Society of Louisiana
Dear SGS members,
Upon requests of many members, our member
Don Dubose is awarded with the SGS Honorary
Life Membership. Congratulations Don and
thank you for your contribution to our society!
Now we are at the end of the 2012 – 2013
season. I would like to thank you for giving the
opportunity to serve our society. I am very
grateful for the help I received from my
committee and many members.
At beginning of the season, we set several
goals. Some were achieved and some were
regrets. But I am proud to say we were
particularly successful on several of them:
1.
Improved presentation quality. In the
past year, I felt we had a good balance on all
the related subjects with a particular emphasis
on 4D technology. We also had a good mix of
speakers from majors, vendors, and university
professors.
2.
We had a very successful Golf
Tournament and obtained sufficient funds for
scholarships.
4.
We awarded scholarship to two high
school students and two college students.
It was a fun journey for me. I believe the
committee members of the next season will
continue to focus on the growth of SGS, and
continue to provide a healthy social and
learning environment for all the members.
Have a safe and fun summer!
Hao
The Gem & Mineral
Society of Louisiana, Inc,
is a section 501 ©(3) tax
exempt organization dedicated
to raising awareness of and
promoting education in the
earth and lapidary science.
The New Orleans gem,
mineral, fossil and jewelry
show is the major annual
fundraiser for the Gem &
Mineral Society of Louisiana,
Inc.
3.
We held a very well attended SEG DISC
class on 4D seismic.
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Focus on Fundamentals
This is a section designed for members to share easy-to-read, high quality scientific journal articles to be used
as learning resources for novices and refreshers for experienced scientists. The articles are not limited to the
geophysics discipline. The collection of this section will be added to the ‘Useful Links’ of the SGS website for
future reference. Only the name of the journal, issue number and page numbers are provided in consideration
of copyright issues.
All SGS members, please share your recommendations with our SGS editor for monthly publication in the
Reflections.
Seismic inversion uncertainty: What does really matter?
Thore, P., Xu, Y., and Duplantier, O. (2013) Seismic inversion uncertainty: What does really matter?. SEG
Technical Program Expanded Abstracts 2013: pp. 3088-3092.
doi: 10.1190/segam2013-0174.1
The last technical luncheon addressed reducing risk with inversion for rock properties. Want to know more
about inversions? Ever wonder what the differences are between data driven deterministic inversion, data
driven stochastic inversion, model driven deterministic inversion, and model driven stochastic inversions?
Fresh off the presses from this year’s SEG Annual Meeting, here is a great general knowledge article on
different inversion techniques and how they differ in relation to uncertainties. The authors illustrate this using
the thinly bedded clastic reservoir from the West of Shetland.
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Southeastern Geophysical Auxiliary News
Upcoming SGA Events for the year:
TBA
Please contact Rosemary Austin at (504) 737-9697
for RSVP and additional information.
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Information for Advertisers: 2012-2013
Benefits:
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Support the geophysical community and geophysics in southeastern Louisiana
Exposure to major oil companies and independents working onshore as well at the Gulf of
Mexico
Advertisements are published monthly (September-May) in the society newsletter.
Advertisements to be published in the membership directory
Logos for full page advertisers are displayed on the SGS website along with a link to the
advertisers’ own websites
Rates:



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Full Page: $1800.00
Half Page: $900.00
Quarter Page: $500.00
Business Card: $200.00
7.5” X 10”
7.5” X 5” or 3.75” X 10”
3.5” X 5” or 7.5” X 2.5”
3.5” X 2”
Please contact Emily Chapp (985) 773-6308 or SGSeditor@yahoo.com
List of Advertisers
SGS would like to thank the following advertisers for their support in 2012-2013:

PGS

IGC
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TGS
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LLog
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SEI
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Chevron
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CGGVeritas
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FugroJason
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Shell

Geophysical
Pursuit Inc
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Word on the Street
This section is a collection of recent headlines that are related to activities in our backyard that we would
like to bring to your attention. Please go to the source website for details.
Latest news from the BSEE/BOEM website: [http://www.bsee.gov/ ; http://www.boem.gov/]

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Oct 1 BSEE will publish final rule to amend regulations updating some fees to cover cost of
processing and filing documents relating to oil and gas resources program.
BSEE proposes rule to further strengthen offshore production safety and implement best practices,
and extends public comment period
Drilling of relief well begins at South Timbalier 220
Latest headlines from RIGZONE : [https://www.rigzone.com/news/region.asp?r_id=1&c_id=&lxd=365]

Congo’s Lake Albert Oil blocks may hold 2 billion barrels

US trail over Gulf Oil Spill Resumes
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BP Files Suit over Louisiana DNR Order
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Olympus Delivered to Mars B
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Two Major Storms Lash Mexico, 41 Dead Amid ‘Historic’ Floods

Noble Energy Makes Troubadour Discovery in GoM
Odds and Ends

China to spend $13bn on exploration in 2013
http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article1337519.ece

IPCC Chairman warns that ‘pricing’ carbon emissions is only way to reduce large scale fossil fuel use
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/ipcc-report-the-financial-markets-are-theonly-hope-in-the-race-to-stop-global-warming-8843573.html

After Algeria attack, Statoil sets up risk unit
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/13/statoil-risk-idUSL5N0H91SH20130913
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General News & Announcements
SGS donates/sponsors various organizations every year.
These include:
The Children’s Hospital
LSU UNO collaboration to monitor and predict levee failures in the Greater New Orleans area
student funding - since fall 2010 with New Orleans Geological Society, API
Delta Chapter, Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authorities
STEM events
Annual scholarships
Thanks to the Ioups for donating to the scholarship fund every year!
Upcoming Events:
Fall Southshore Social
Seismic Stratigraphy of the Gulf of Mexico - Short course sponsored by SGS/NOGS
SGS/NOGS Joint luncheon
We are actively looking for sponsors for our monthly technical luncheons. If your company would
like to participate, please contact Erin Brenneman [e.brenneman@chevron.com]
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Local History
Le Pavillon
Each month we have our monthly meetings at Le Pavillon. As fitting a
grand hotel in New Orleans, Le Pavillon has a rich history of traditions
and ghost stories. Did you know the hotel used to be named New Hotel
Denechaud? There is a tradition of PB&J? There is a petting zoo at
Easter? It is saidto be haunted by four different ghosts? Each month we
will discuss a little tidbit about this beautiful hotel.
Traditions : PB&J
Fresh peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches with milk and hot
chocolate are offered in the lobby for
overnight guests at 10pm everyday.
This tradition originated back on
September 10th, 1988, with a guest and
his nightly rituals. After arriving to
Le Pavillon on a long journey, the
guest proceeded to order a glass of
milk as a nightcap. In response to inquiries from the barkeep, he talked about his family back home, with
their daily evening rituals that developed as he was away from home so often. Every evening, he would
order a glass of milk to share with his little daughter, having her PB&J and milk at home. The General
Manager, who was acting as barkeep that night, was
touched by the story and asked the night kitchen staff if
they could make some for the guest. Word quickly
spread and soon everyone wanted a nightly PB&J – and
they have been offering them ever since.
~ from www.lepavillon.com
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Blast from the Past
Trivia –
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This time last year, Andrew Fryer was teaching us about salt proximity
surveys and salt flank imaging using offset VSP
Two years ago, Juan Lorenzo and Jason Hicks came to give an update on
the geophysical monitoring of New Orleans levees – The group conducted 4 field trips over 12 days and
involved a total of 3 undergraduate students and 5 graduate students, to survey portions of the London
Avenue Canal site, the 17th St. Canal breach and neighborhood, and Paris Road levee in Chalmette.
Geophysical tools included GPR antennae (100, 250, 270 MHz), and a seismic landstreamer (vertical and
horizontal component) to collect active refraction, reflection and passive surface wave data.
Three years ago, SGS hosted a Technical Breakfast where Juan Lorenzo proposed the Geo-Science based
Monitoring of Flood Protection Levees: A collaborative proposal between LSU and UNO Earth Science
Departments, NASTL
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Letters to SGS
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Membership Application
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Contact List
P.O. Box 57141
New Orleans, LA 70157
Web address: www.sgs-neworleans.org
SGS Excutive Committee
SGS Officers
SGS Company Representatives 2013-2014
PRESIDENT- Julius Doruelo
Shell
Tel: (504) 425-4086
j.doruelo@shell.com
1st VICE PRESIDENT - Eric Zim m erm ann
LLOG Exploration
Tel: (985) 773-6212
-
Geophysical Pursuit
Schlumberger
Chevron
larry@geopursuit.com
gillis1@new -orleans.oilfield.slb.com
magrow don@chevron.com
Tel: (504) 425-7303
Kathy Hannigan
Jim Harley
Diana Smith
-
ENI Petroleum
Eagle Geophysical
BOEMRE
kathleen.hannigan@enipetroleum.com
jimharley@yahoo.com
dee.smith@boemre.gov
Juliette Ioup
Kevin Jordan
-
UNO
PetroQuest
jioup@uno.edu
kjordan@petroquest.com
Dale Lambert
-
IO
dlambert@i-o.com
David Lynch
Jim McCarty
-
Shell
ANKOR Energy
david.lynch@shell.com
jmccarty@ankorenergy.com
Shaw n Porche
-
E-Seis
sporche@e-seis.com
Michelle Pou
Tony Rebecca
-
TGS
Paradigm
mpou@tgsnopec.com
trebec@paradigmgeo.com
Kelly Landry
-
WesternGeco
klandry@new -orleans.w esterngeco.com
Brenda Reilly
Jeff Row e
-
Energy Partners LTD breilly@eplw eb.com
Fugro
jrow e@fugro.com
Kurt Sellers
-
PGS
kurt.sellers@pgs.com
Karen Sontag
Layne Williams
-
ION
Seismic Exchange
karen.sontag@iongeo.com
lw illiams@seismicexchange.com
David Schw artz
-
Fugro
dschw artz@fugro.com
Claudia Lopez
-
Fugro
clopez@fugro.com
Tel: (504) 425-7437
robin.broussard@shell.com
EDITOR - Patricia Yu
Tel: (504) 425-6364
patricia.yu@shell.com
PAST PRESIDENT - Hao Zhou
Shell
Tel: (504) 425-7027
hao.zhou@shell.com
PRIOR PAST PRESIDENT - Jared Bosch
Chevron USA Production Company
Tel: (985) 773-6251
jared.bosch@chevron.com
WEBMASTER - Richard Mongan
Chevron USA Production Company
steve.dennis@halliburton.com
Larry Gallow ay
David Gillis
Mark Grow don
TREASURER - Robin Broussard
Shell
s_davis@seismicventures.com
Halliburton
Baker Hughes
CGG
Richard Fossier
christy.gautre@shell.com
Shell
Seismic Ventures
Tel: (985) 801-4338
e.brenneman@chevron.com
SECRETARY - Christy Gautre
Shell
-
Steve Dennis
-
ericz@llog.com
2nd VICE PRESIDENT - Erin Brennem an
Chevron USA Production Company
Sara Davis
Tel: (832) 854-5725
richard.mongan@chevron.com
SGS Outreach Officer - Lisa Dw yer Kennedy
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
lisa.kennedy@boemre.gov
Tel: (504) 736-2794
rfossier@cgg.com
SGA Officers
PRESIDENT- Rosem ary Austin
Tel: (504) 737-9697
VICE PRESIDENT - Glenda Evans
SECRETARY - Claudia Marquis
TREASURER - Claire La Pointe
* Please note the company representatives are currently being updated. If you see
anything that should be changed, please contact the editor at sgseditor@yahoo.com
Thank you!
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Calendar of Events
SGS event
Meeting/conference/forum
Festival/Holiday
Page 24