2014 News

December 2014

TGS

Mike Hudec visited the Houston office of TGS on December 9 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. This visit was provided as part of TGS' membership in the AGL consortium.


shell

Mike Hudec visited Shell's Houston office on December 10 to discuss salt tectonics in the North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Shell's membership in the AGL consortium.


schlumberger

Mike Hudec visited Schlumberger in Houston on December 11-12. While there, Mike joined Schlumberger staff in research on salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico.


AGU

Maria Nikolinakou attended AGU meeting in San Francisco, California December 15-19, 2014. Maria presented a poster titled "Stress evolution in sediments around a rising salt diapir".


November 2014

2014 meeting
lab tour

Lab tour photo, click to view larger.

The Applied Geodynamics Laboratory (AGL) held its 26th annual review meeting in Austin November 13–14. A record 385 registrants listened to 21 presentations on salt tectonics over the course of the two-day meeting. Presenters included AGL staff Dan Carruthers, Tim Dooley, Mahdi Heidari, Mike Hudec, and Maria Nikolinakou, as well as collaborators from nine other universities and research institutes around the world. Click here to download a slideshow of selected images from this years meeting.


October 2014

MIT club

Maria Nikolinakou was elected President of the MIT Club of Austin and San Antonio. In addition to other responsibilities she will be organizing and overseeing STEM activities for students in high school and younger.


September 2014

Dooley poster

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The 2nd Annual Bureau Research Symposium was held on September 12th. More than thirty research posters were on display for staff and researchers to review and discuss during a morning session filled with lively conversation about the new knowledge being created at the Bureau. Tim Dooley's poster (coauthored by Martin Jackson and Mike Hudec) entitled "Squeezing a Large Canopy on a Slope: Suturing Patterns, Subsalt Thrusting, Suprasalt Extension and Salt Expulsion" won the Best Overall award for Energy Reseach. In addition Tim won the Most Ground-breaking Research and Best Use of Color awards. Maria Nikolinakou's poster won the award for "Best feedback device".


Marathon

Mike Hudec visited Marathon's Houston office on September 8 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico.


utah

Upturned beds against the north flank of the Onion Creek diapir, Paradox Basin, Utah. Photo taken by Bryce Wagner.

Mike Hudec led four field trips to the Paradox Basin in September. Three of the trips were single-company excursions for CGG, Statoil, and Kosmos Energy. The fourth trip was an open trip involving delegates from Apache, BHP, ConocoPhillips, Freeport-McMoRan, Nexen, Noble, Repsol, Shell, and Woodside. Click photo to view larger.


August 2014

Carruthers wedding

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On the 8th August 2014 Dan Carruthers got married to Jennifer Turner in Uppermill, Saddlesworth (NW England) before spending their honeymoon in Paris.


apache

Mike Hudec visited Apache's Houston office on August 28 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as a benefit of Apache's membership in the AGL consortium.


ecopetrol

Mike Hudec visited the Houston offices of Ecopetrol on August 29 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as a benefit of Ecopetrol's membership in the AGL consortium.


Rheology

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Maria Nikolinakou attended the GeoMod Conference in Potsdam, Germany August 31-September 5 and presented her talk "Modeling stress evolution around a rising salt diapir".


July 2014

Mike YouTube

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Mike Hudec was interviewed by filmmaker Wendy Taylor of Arizona State University for a Virtual Field Trip to Upheaval Dome, Utah. The origin of Upheaval Dome is contentious, with competing hypotheses of meteor impact and pinched-off salt dome. Mike was presenting arguments in favor of the salt-dome hypothesis. The virtual field trip can be found online here, or Mike's 19 podcasts can be found on YouTube here. If we all work together we can push Mike's YouTube hits up into the double digits!


CGG Veritas

Mike Hudec visited CGG's Houston office on June 30–July 3 to discuss salt tectonics in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of CGG's membership in the AGL consortium.


MIT dome

On July 7-9, 2014 Maria Nikolinakou attended the MIT Professional Education short course: "Leadership Skills for Engineering and Science Faculty".


title slide

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On July 16, Mike Hudec gave a presentation entitled "Eastern gulf of Mexico Geological Review" at CGG's Florida 3D Seismic Survey Results Luncheon in Houston. The visit was provided as part of CGG's membership in the AGL consortium.


Maersk

Mike Hudec visited Maersk's Houston office on July 16 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Maersk's membership in the AGL consortium.


CGG Veritas

Mike Hudec presented a short course entitled "Advanced Salt Tectonics – Geologic Principles for Seismic Interpretation in the Northern Gulf of Mexico" at CGG in Houston on July 21–22.


Basin Research

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New publication:

Harrison, J. C., and Jackson, M. P. A., 2014, Exposed evaporite diapirs and minibasins above a canopy in central Sverdrup Basin, Axel Heiberg Island, Arctic Canada: Basin Research, 26 (4), 567-596, doi: 10.1111/bre.12037


AAPG Bulletin

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New publication:

Jackson, C. A.-L., Carruthers, D. T., Mahlo, S.N., and Briggs, O., 2014 Can polygonal faults help locate deepwater reservoirs?: AAPG Bulletin, in press, doi: 10.1306/03131413104


Marine Petroleum

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New publication:

Nikolinakou, M. A., Hudec, M. R., and Flemings, P. B., 2014, Comparison of evolutionary and static modeling of stresses around a salt diapir, Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 57, p. 537-545, doi: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2014.07.002


solid earth

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New publication:

Weijermars, R., 2014, Visualization of space competition and plume formation with complex potentials for multiple source flows: Some examples and novel application to Chao lava flow (Chile): Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 119, Issue 3, 2397-2414, doi: 10.1002/2013JB010608


Geophysical Journal

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New publication:

Weijermars, R., Jackson, M. P. A., and van Harmelen, A., 2014, Closure of open wellbores in creeping salt sheets: Geophysical Journal International, 196 (1), 279-290, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggt346


June 2014

Soudan

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Soudan

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Maria Nikolinakou attended the 48th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium in Minneapolis MN June 1-4, 2014 and presented the talk: "Comparison of evolutionary and static modeling of stresses around a salt dome: "The importance of modeling the past". Maria was co-organizer for the career center and student trivia contest events, as well as the "How to give an effective presentation" workshop. She represented the ARMA Future Leader during the Board meeting. She also participated in the Soudan Mine technical tour.

Link to paper.


Geophysical Journal

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New publication:

Weijermars, R., Jackson, M. P. A., Dooley, T. P., Quantifying drag on wellbore casings in moving salt sheets: Geophysical Journal International 198, Vol. 2, 965-977, doi:10.1093/gji/ggul174


May 2014

BEG

May 1—AGL is pleased to announce three job openings:

Position #1: Early-career salt tectonics. We are looking for expertise in structural geology or stratigraphy with interests in structure. The research scientists will study the evolution of salt structures using 3D seismic data and section restoration to determine principles governing their behavior. Experience with workstation seismic interpretation is required, and experience in salt basins or section restoration would be beneficial. We hope to fill this position either with a postdoc or with somebody having 0–10 years of work experience. We will begin reviewing applications on June 1. More information and instructions for application are available on-line at https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/hr/jobs/nlogon/140509030708.

Position #2: Mid-career salt tectonics. We are looking for expertise in structural geology or stratigraphy with interests in structure. The research scientists will study the evolution of salt structures using 3D seismic data and section restoration to determine principles governing their behavior. Experience with workstation seismic interpretation is required, and experience in salt basins or section restoration would be beneficial. Qualified individuals should have 10–25 years of experience. We will begin reviewing applications on June 1. More information and instructions for application are available on-line at https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/hr/jobs/nlogon/140509010708.

Position #3: Early-career geomechanics. We are looking for expertise in geomechanical numerical modeling and soil/rock mechanics, and experience modeling fluid flow in conjunction with large deformations. The candidate will be part of an integrated team of geologists and engineers and use state-of-the-art numerical modeling to couple complex soil behavior with geological-scale deformation in settings ranging from salt basins to thrust belts. We hope to fill this position either with a postdoc or with somebody having 0–10 years of work experience. We will begin reviewing applications on June 1. More information and instructions for application are available on-line at https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/hr/jobs/nlogon/140509020708.


Boston

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Maria Nikolinakou spent two weeks in Boston at MIT in order to finalize her Ph.D. papers.


Upheaval dome

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On May 23 Mike Hudec met with filmmaker Wendy Taylor from the Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration to film a series of podcasts on the salt-tectonics model for the origin of Upheaval Dome, Utah. ASU is building a series of web-based virtual field trips with funding through the NASA Astrobiology Institute. The virtual field trip will present both the meteor-impact and salt-dome-pinchoff models for the evolution of the enigmatic structure.


Luo

May 30 – AGL bids a regretful farewell to Gang Luo, who leaves us to accept a faculty position at the University of Chinese National Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Gang joined AGL in 2009, and (with Maria Nikolinakou) was instrumental in re-inaugurating AGL's finite-element-modeling program in collaboration with Peter Flemings' UTGeoFluids consortium. Gang's expertise and sense of humor will be sorely missed, but we wish him all the best in his new assignment.


AAPG bulletin

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New publication:

Weijermars, R., Jackson, M.P.A., Predicting the depth of viscous stress peaks in moving salt sheets: Conceptual framework and implications for drilling: AAPG Bulletin, v. 98, No. 5, p. 911-945 doi: 10.1306/09121313044


April 2014

GSA

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New publication:

Jackson, C. A.-L., Jackson, M. P. A., Hudec, M. R., and Rodriguez, C., 2014, Internal structure, kinematics, and growth of a salt wall: Insights from 3-D seismic data: Geology, v. 42, no. 4, p. 307-310, doi: 10.1130/G34865.1


AAPG

Tim Dooley attended the 2014 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition in Houston, Texas from April 6-9. Whilst there Tim presented a poster entitled "Squeezing a Large Canopy on a Slope: Suturing Patterns, Subsalt Thrusting and Suprasalt Extension and Salt Expulsion", coauthored by Martin Jackson and Mike Hudec.

Link to abstract.


Chris Jackson

Chris Jackson visited AGL on April 28 – May 9 to complete work on two papers associated with Chris' sabbatical in AGL in 2012–13. The papers deal with salt tectonics and regional evolution of the Santos Basin, Brazil.


ION
Pemex

Mike Hudec visited the offices of CGG, WesternGeco, ION, and PGS in Houston on March 10–11 to discuss salt tectonics in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of ION's and Pemex's memberships in the AGL consortium.


San Antonio

Maria Nikolinakou was invited to present at the SPE/AAPG/SEG Pore Pressure Workshop in San Antonio, Texas on March 10-12, 2014. She presented a talk on the "Impact of salt diapir evolution on stress and pressure."


PGS

Mike Hudec visited the Houston office of PGS on March 24 to discuss salt tectonics in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of PGS's membership in the AGL consortium.


Marine Petroleum

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New publication:

Nikolinakou, M. A., Flemings, P. B., and Hudec, M. R., Modeling stress evolution around a rising salt diapir, Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 51, p. 230-238, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2013.11.021.


February 2014

Hess

Maria Nikolinakou visited the offices of Hess on February 25, 2014 and presented a talk entitled "Modeling stress evolution around a salt dome."


Villahermosa

Mike Hudec visited Pemex's offices in Villahermosa on February 17–20. While in Villahermosa, Mike taught a short course on salt tectonics and consulted on salt structural styles in the southern Gulf of Mexico.


SIG

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On Feb. 12, 2014 Maria Nikolinakou presented a talk titled "Modeling stress evolution around a rising salt dome" at the Houston Geomechanics series.


Marathon

Mike Hudec visited Marathon's Houston office on February 25 to discuss salt tectonics in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Marathon's membership in the AGL consortium.


BHP Billiton

Mike Hudec visited BHP's offices in Houston on February 26–28. During the visit Mike taught a short course in salt tectonics and discussed salt structures in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Part of the visit was provided as part of BHP's membership in the AGL consortium.


January 2014

Houston

On January 10, Mike Hudec gave a presentation entitled "Salt-sheet emplacement and drilling hazards" at the January meeting of the Operators' Geohazards Forum (OGF) in Houston. AGL researchers Maria Nikolinakou, Tim Dooley, Martin Jackson, and Gang Luo were all coauthors on the talk.


Cobalt

On January 13, 2014, Maria Nikolinakou visited the offices of Cobalt and presented a talk on stress redistribution around salt bodies.


Noble

Mike Hudec visited the Houston office of Noble Energy on January 23 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Noble's membership in the AGL consortium.


Geology

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New publication:

Sawyer, D. E., Flemings, P. B., and Nikolinakou, M. A., 2013, Continuous deep-seated slope failure recycles sediments and limits levee height in submarine channels: Geology, v. 42, no. 1, doi: 10.1130/G34870.1.



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