Technical Program Committee
Proposed 2008 GCAGS Session Topics
Topic 1: Energy Budgets and the Global Markets
Earth scientists must provide critical information for policy-making on future energy use. This session examines the geologic constraints on the world’s future energy mix and the consequences for the Earth System of alternate energy-mix scenarios
Session Chairs:
Peter McCabe Csiro & AGI President Peter.McCabe@csiro.au
Art Donovan BP art.donovan@bp.com
Topic 2: Applied Micro-paleontology
The session will draw case studies of high-impact/high-resolution biostratigraphy from industry, universities and government, discussions of new biostratigraphic tools and techniques as well as examples of environmental and geologic problem resolution using microfossils.
Session Chairs:
Jere Lipps Berkely jlipps@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Brian O’Neill Shell brian.oneill@shell.com
Andrew Bowman Chevron Andy.Bowman@chevron.com
Alicia Kahn Chevron kahn@chevron.com
Topic 3: Shale Gas
Recovery of natural gas from shale is an emerging and challenging endeavor that requires new and innovative approaches to petroleum exploration and production. A centerpiece of successful gas-shale development is establishing relationships among shale properties, gas properties, and well completion/stimulation techniques. This session will focus on gas shale properties, how these properties relate to regional geology (including stratigraphy and depositional environment) and the tools and techniques employed in their evaluation.
Session Chairs:
Topic 4: Hydrates and Shallow Gas
New shallow subsurface gas plays are emerging in both the shallow and deepwater Gulf of Mexico. This session will address the habitat of shallow gas and hydrate and its significance as a resource and hazard.
Session Chairs:
Mike Smith The G2 Group michaelalexissmith@hotmail.com
Bob Hardage BEG bob.hardage@beg.utexas.edu
Topic 5: Integrated Pore Pressure Predictions: Case Studies
Talks in this session will highlight current trends in pore pressure and fracture gradient prediction and detection applied towards improving the design and drilling efficiency of complex wells in difficult geologic environments.
Session Chairs:
Marty Albertin BP martin.albertin@bp.com
Phil Heppard ConocoPhillips philip.d.heppard@conocophillips.com
Topic 6: The Geology of the GOM Coastal Plain: Insights into Offshore GOM Exploration
This session is designed to present geological data and interpretations regarding Gulf Coastal Plain strata and demonstrate the application of this information in the formulation of petroleum exploration strategies for the Gulf of Mexico.
Session Chairs:
Ernie Mancini University of Alabama emancini@geo.ua.edu
Dave Cooke Mineral Management Service david.cooke@mms.gov
Topic 7: Faults: Friend and Foe
This session addresses characterization and modeling of faults in outcrop and in the subsurface with an emphasis on the identification of geologic parameters which influence hydraulic behavior (whether sealing, permeability-enhancing, or both).
Session Chairs:
Peter Hennings ConocoPhillips peter.hennings@conocophillips.com
Steve Naruk Shell steve.naruk@shell.com
Topic 8: Allochthonous Salt: Impact from Exploration to Production
Allochthonous salt canopies can not only obscure high value subsalt hydrocarbon targets, but can also present unique drilling and production challenges. This session focuses on current methods of subsalt exploration, drilling, and facilities planning.
Session Chairs:
Fred Diegel Shell fred.diegel@shell.com
Bill Hart BP bill.h.hart@bp.com
Topic 9: Visualization of Depositional Systems
This session explores advances in visualization techniques that enable geoscientists to identify, interpret and investigate models of depositional systems in a broad array of environments from fluvial to deep marine.
Session Chairs:
Jim Thomson BP james.thomson@bp.com
Kevin Bradford Shell k.bradford@shell.com
Topic 10: Predictive Models for Deep-Water Reservoir Distributions: The Subsalt Challenge
One of the greatest uncertainties in subsalt exploration is predicting reservoir distribution, continuity and connectivity. This session focuses on predictive deep-water reservoir models and their application to the subsalt challenge.
Session Chairs:
Morgan Sullivan Chevron morgansullivan@chevron.com
Gary Steffens Shell gary.steffens@shell.com
Topic 11: Old Fields-New Life: How New Technologies or New Ideas Have Made a Difference
As much as 65% of oil in existing fields still remains in place. At $90 per barrel it is now economical and geopolitically safe to find new ways to release and extract oil from old fields and produce gas from unconventional sources such as shales and coal beds.
Session Chairs:
Wayne Ahr TAMU ahr@tamu.edu
Bill Hill BP william.hill@bp.com
Topic 12: Advances in Seismic Imaging---Impact on Exploration through Production: Case Studies
The session aims to bring together geoscientists working throughout the field lifecycle to showcase the impact enhanced seismic imaging has had on the understanding of field complexities and their impact from Exploration through Production. These can include, but are not limited to, acquisition and processing solutions as applied in case studies.
Session Chairs:
Jos Terken Shell jos.terken@shell.com
Mark Williams BP mark.williams@bp.com
Topic 13: Depositional Systems: Insights from Outcrops, Shallow Seismic, or Coastal Studies
Constraining the evolution of depositional systems and developing an understanding of their component parts based on process-oriented research is fundamental to sedimentology. We seek contributions that highlight recent advances supported by field-based research.
Session Chairs:
Keith Shanley Shanley Inc. shanleypk@msn.com
Topic 14: Uncertainty Assessment and Its Impact on Decision Making
This session addresses how uncertainty in exploration is characterized for more effective bias removal, communication, and ideally, more informed decisions. Accordingly, the session addresses uncertainty from the perspective of prospect generators.
Session Chairs:
Gary Citron Rose Associates garycitron@roseassoc.com
Katrina Withers ExxonMobil katrina.d.withers@exxonmobil.com
Topic 15: Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain Paleontology
The session will cover any aspect of paleontology (stressing Cenozoic marine faunas, both vertebrate and invertebrate) of the deposits exposed in the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain, including the region from Yucatan to Florida.
Session Chairs:
Louis Zachos UTexas zachos@mail.utexas.edu
Ann Molineux UTexas annm@mail.utexas.edu
Topic 16: Environmental Geology and Hydrology
This session will cover the hydrogeology of groundwater resources in the circum Gulf of Mexico region and the application of hydrogeology to the management of those resources.
Session Chairs:
Brian Hunt Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer District brianbhunt@sbcglobal.net
Brian Smith Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer District brians@bseacd.org