| 2005 |
| See
Meetings
for information on the 2006 FRAC Research Meeting
in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 12/27/05
|
|
| New
scientist joins FRAC We are pleased to announce that
Dr. Peter Eichhubl
has joined the UT Bureau of Economic Geology as a Research Scientist
as part of our Jackson School Research Initiative on Structural
Diagenesis.
Peter will also be closely involved in our Basic Energy Sciences
research project that is currently focused on testing linked
fracture and diagenesis models in the Piceance Basin,
Colorado. We look forward to introducing Peter to the membership
in 2006. For more information see Member's What's
New. 12/25/05 |
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|
|
| Predicting
Aperture and Length Population Statistics Using a Fracture Mechanics
Model is the title of Jon Olson's
invited presentation at the December American Geophysical Union
meeting [abstract].
12/07/05
|
|
| México
es un lugar propicio para el desarrollo de al ciencia
See the UNAM
site for more information on Randy Marrett's
recent visit to UNAM and the short course and research program
he presented. For more information on Randy's recent studies
of fracture spatial scaling, see the Member's eJournal.
12/06/05 |
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|
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| Fractures
and diagenesis of carbonate rocks, and mature
field development are topics of the final structural
diagenesis working group meeting of 2005. The meeting is scheduled
for 3 pm Friday, December 9 with reception to follow. Members
are welcome 12/05/05
|
|
Synkinematic
bridges
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|
Fracture
models, fracture prediction, and pore pressure history were
topics for discussion at the structural diagenesis working
group meeting Friday November 18 from 12-2pm. See the Meeting
announcement. Members welcome. Kitty Milliken also lectured
at BEG at 8:30am the same day. Image: bridges
in Arkansas. 11/15/05
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| Two
Internal Discussion Workshops are tentatively
scheduled for early 2006. We plan to hold the meetings
in Austin.
These
meetings focus on unresolved research issues. Members
are welcome to attend. |
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|
Faulted
limestone, Wyoming |
|
Topics
for these internal discussion meetings are:
Mechanical
and chemical interactions in faulted and fractured carbonate
rocks: Implications for flow conduit and barrier attributes
and lifetimes John N. Hooker, coordinator.
Workshop info
Fracture
length and effective permeability evolution: From outcrop
to simulator Edgar Pinzon, coordinator.
Workshop info
Planning
is underway for the 2006 FRAC Research
Meetings. A review meeting is tentatively scheduled
for late Summer/Fall 06 in Jackson, Wyoming. Contact Steve
Laubach or see the Meeting
page for more information. 11/10/05 |
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|
|
The
7th annual FRAC student event was held Saturday,
November 5. Contact the student
organizing committee for more information or
see the Meeting
announcement. Members attended. 11/06/05
|
|
| Jon
Olson is the Michel T.
Halbouty Visiting Chair at Texas A&M this
Fall. He presented an invited lecture on October 20 in College
Station. The title of the lecture is Occam's
razor and the interpretation of joints and veins -- Can you
really get more with less? 10/10/05 |
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|
At
the BEG seminar on Friday, October 21, Kitty Milliken
will present Petrography reality
and chemical diagenesis. The seminar will
be held in the main Bureau conference room at 8:30 a.m. Members
welcome.[
Abstract
] 10/12/05 Note: presentation moved
to Nov. 18.
Graduate
student and Bureau Research Assistant, Kira Diaz Tushman,
was the speaker for the Friday, October 7 seminar. Kira spoke
on Expanding the tectonic history
of the highlands: a strain study utilizing fractures from
Cambrian Eriboll Group Sandstones. [ Abstract
] The seminar was held at 8:30 in the Main Conference
Room. All presentations are posted on
the Members site. 10/5/05 |
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|
Schedules
for Member visits to Austin during Fall 2005 are posted on
the Calendar
page of the Members site.
Contact
Steve Laubach for more information. |
|
 |
|
Structural
diagenetic studies of fractures on a wide range of scales
are underway, Scotland and Mexico. |
|
Structural
Diagenesis Master Classes are scheduled for Fall
2005 in Austin. Topics include interaction of chemical and
mechanical processes in the development of fracture systems
and regional subthrust fracture systems. Members welcome.
More information is posted under Meetings
and on the class
page on the members site. 8/23/05
Meetings are held on selected Fridays at 3 pm. Contact Steve
Laubach. |
|
| 2006
AAPG Fractures & Diagenesis |
Stylolites
and fractures, dolostone, Mexico. |
Steve
Laubach, Bureau of
Economic Geology, Steve Cumella,
Bill Barrett Corporation, Evergreen,
CO, and M. Ray Thomasson, Thomasson
Partner Associates, Inc, Denver, CO will be chairing
oral and poster sessions on Fractured
Clastics and Carbonates--What Constrains Their Reservoir Limits?
at the 2006 AAPG Convention in Houston. Consider making a
contribution to the session. More information on AAPG web
site or by contacting one of us.
8/15/05
FRAC will also make a special announcement
at the convention of an opportunity for member representatives.
8/15/05 |
|
|
Rob
Lander is chairing sessions at AAPG meetings in
Houston and Perth.
The
deep frontier: Advances in reservoir quality prediction
is the session scheduled for AAPG Houston on April 9-12,
2006. The deadline for abstracts is October 4th. Co-chairs
are Joanna Ajdukiewicz, Rob Lander, and Ole Martinsen.
As of now both oral and a poster sessions are planned.
Going
deeper and hotter: How accurately can we predict sandstone
reservoir quality?
is scheduled for the AAPG meeting in Perth on November 5-8,
2006. The deadline for abstracts for this session
has not yet been announced. Co-chairs are Rob Lander, Chris
Cubitt, and Astrid Makowitz. This will be an oral
session but potentially could be expanded to include a poster
session if there is sufficient interest. Web link:
http://www.aapg.org/perth/tech_program/sessions.cfm
Jon
Olson chairs an AAPG Houston session on Matrix/Fracture
Flow Interaction
Jon's
co-chairs are M. Ellen Meurer, ExxonMobil Upstream Research
Company and Chris Zahm, Integrated Geological Analysis,
ConocoPhillips Upstream Technology.
FRAC
graduate student Leonel Gomez chairs oral
and poster sessions on Tectonics
and Sedimentation of Fold and Thrust Belts
at the Houston AAPG convention.
Leonel's
co-chairs are Robert G. Hickman, Structural Solutions and
Timothy P. Seeley, Talisman Energy, Calgary.
|
|
| The
2005 FRAC Annual Research
Meeting held at the Department of Geological
Sciences was a success. Despite a hurricane the previous day,
the FRAC Field trip in NE Mexico was also successful.
Image to right shows part of the field party. |
|
 |
For
images from the 2005 field trip [Field
trip review]
More
information is posted under Meetings
on the members site. 8/12/05 |
|
 |
|
The
FRAC field team is back from sampling and measuring
what is possibly the World's largest microfractured sandstone
bedding plane pavement. The team also collected outcrop laser
imagery of macroscopic fractures in the kilometer-scale outcrop.
Image on left shows Jackson School of Geosciences student Kira
Diaz Tushman collecting a fracture scanline on part
of the immense pavement. Fieldwork for this study was made possible
by a John A. and Katherine G. Jackson Research Fellowship
(Laubach) and field research grants from the Geological Society
of America and the Geology Foundation (Diaz Tushman). 8/11/05
|
|
| The
2006
FRAC meeting will return to Jackson
Hole, Wyoming, based on deliberations at the recent
FRAC meeting in Austin. FRAC also intends to hold a meeting
and field trip in Argentina during 2006-07. More information
on plans for both events will be posted on the FRAC Meetings
page. 8/10/05 |
|
 |
|
 |
The
Bureau welcomes Virginio Neumann as
a new visiting scientist with the Fracture
Research and Application Consortium.
Virginio will work with Julia Gale until June 2006 on
fracture systems in lacustrine
carbonates in the Araripe Basin in NE Brazil
and on Pennsylvanian fractured carbonates in New Mexico
and West Texas. A member of the faculty at the University
of Pernambuco in NE Brazil, Virginio obtained his Ph.D.
from the University of Barcelona in 1999. His expertise
is in carbonate sedimentology. |
Contact
Julia Gale for more information on these projects. 09/12/05
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|
|
2005
FRAC Research & Application Meeting |
The
2005 FRAC Annual Meeting
was held July 21 and 22, 2005
in Austin. This was an Applications and Research Meeting focused
on training and demonstrations as well as reporting on research
progress. A post-meeting field trip in Mexico was held in
conjunction with the event.
More
information is on the Members
Site. 2/11/05 |
|
Open
fracture, Bolivia
|
| |
|
| The
FRAC Annual Research Meeting and field trip
are underway July 21 through 24. Rainy weather promises to cool
off northeastern Mexico for the field trip. Latest news about
the meeting and field trip and directions to the meeting location
at the Department of Geological Sciences is posted under Meetings
on the members site. 7/20/05 |
|
 |
|
|
|
New
information on July field trip logistics
has been posted on the Members site under Meetings.
We will shortly be mailing Members additional information
about the field trip. 5/24/05
Finalized meeting agenda and field trip logistics are posted. |
|
Fractured
Carbonates: Gale In Rio for SPE |
Julia
Gale traveled to Rio de Janeiro to present an invited paper
on fractures and diagenesis in carbonate rocks
to the Society of Petroleum Engineers Latin
American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference.
Julia also hopes to meet with Petrobras while
she is in the south.
.
In
July FRAC will be joined by a postdoctoral fellow
from Brazil,
Virgínio
Henrique Neumann, who will be working on fractures in carbonate
rocks. More information on Henrique's project will be provided
in July.
.
A
review of progress on the structural diagenesis modeling
of dolostones initiatives will be held on July 12, when
Dr. Rolf Arvidson from Rice visits. See Calendar.
|
|
 |
|
| Several
students working in the Fracture Research & Application
Consortium are featured in an article by Sylvia Jennette in
the Bureau of Economic Geology Mid Year Report.
A copy will be provided to Members at the FRAC meeting in
July.
|
|
Grants
for Analytical Fees Support |
|
Edgar
Pinzon |
| Edgar
Pinzon, graduate research assistant in FRAC, has been
awarded a competitive grant for his research to support analytical
fees. The grant is from the Geology Foundation Conoco-Phillips
and Chevron-Texaco Funds via the Jackson School Graduate
Support Committee. Edgar's research involves new modeling approaches
and fracture observations to better understand how fracture
length and connectivity patterns arise. The study is based in
part on field studies in Utah, Colombia, and NW Argentina. Kira
Diaz Tushman of FRAC, has also been
awarded funds from this competition.
5/25/05 |
|
|
FRAC
Ph.D. candidate Leonel Gomez won the best Ph.D. presentation
award from the Jackson School for the 2004 fall semester.
Upon hearing of his win, Leonel said As someone from a
non-English-speaking country, I take great pride in winning
this award. To the right, Leonel, and his advisor Randy
Marrett, during recent field work in Grand Teton National
Park, Wyoming. 5/9/05 |
|
|
|
| Fractured
Basement Rocks |
Flow
of water in fractured granite |
At
the July meeting we will provide a brief update on our fractured
crystalline rocks fracture characterization and prediction
work and plans.
Production
from fractured igneous and metamorphic rocks is a reality,
and FRAC methods can help unravel the role of fractures in
these reservoirs.
For
more information contact Steve Laubach or Rob Reed. For a
high-resolution copy of the image (right) of copious water
flow in a granite fracture contact Steve Laubach or Randy
Marrett.
5/9/05 |
|
|
FRAC
Student Research Opportunities |
 |
|
Support
is available for student thesis projects in the Department
of Geological Sciences and Department
of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering. Projects
cover a wide range of issues in fractured rock geology and
engineering, and include modeling, laboratory and field-based
studies.
For
more information, contact Randy Marrett,
Steve Laubach, or Jon Olson.
Left:
recent fracture sampling expedition in the Rockies. Marrett,
Gomez, and Laubach. |
|
|
|
On
Friday May 13, Peter Eichhubl will present
Structural Diagenesis—An
Integrated Approach to Coupled Mechanical and Chemical Processes
in Deforming Geomaterials at the Bureau Seminar,
8:30 am in the main Bureau conference room. Contact Steve Laubach
for more information about Dr. Eichhubl's visit. 4/25/05 |
|
Barnett
Shale and Fold-Related Faults
Student
presentations on May 3. Petro Papazis will
present A petrographic characterization
of the Barnett Shale, Fort Worth basin, Texas
and Tim Gibbons will present Spacing
and distribution of deformation bands and their effects on
porous sandstone, southeastern Utah at 4 p.m.
at Department of Geological Sciences. See
Calendar
or contact Randy Marrett or Kitty Milliken for more information.
Slides are posted on the Members side of the site under Reports.
|
|
| UT
student and Fracture Research and Application Consortium researcher
Kira Diaz Tushman has been awarded a research
grant to cover field expenses from the Geological
Society of America. Kira has also been awarded
field support from the Geology
Foundation. Kira's proposal is titled The
Evolution of Fracture Patterns in Northwestern Scotland: An
Analogue to Sandstones at Depth. More information
about this study can be found on the private side. 4/25/05 |
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|
Challenges
in Carbonate Resource Development |
|
|
| An SPE
Forum Series meeting on Future Challenges in Carbonate
Resource Development is planned for 23-28 October,
2005, Los Cabos, Mexico. Steve Laubach serves
on the Steering Committee for this meeting. More information
about the meeting can be found on the Society
of Petroleum Engineers web site. Here is the official
meeting announcement [PDF]
4/14/05
|
|
|
FRAC
Research Staff Openings
Structural
Diagenesis/Structural Geology
Research Associate or Research Scientist, Ph.D. Structural
Geology RSA II M.S.-level. Staff positions
currently open within the Jackson School of Geosciences research
initiative Fracture Opening
Processes: Chemical/Mechanical Evolution of Fracture Systems.
BEG also has an opening for
a sedimentary geochemist. See the BEG web site for application
information. [ Research
Staff Openings ] |
|
Rijken
Successfully Defends Dissertation |
|  Peggy
Rijken at the 2004 FRAC field trip in Utah, along
with (L to R) Alexis Anastas (Devon Canada), Rob Lander, and
Jeff Chen ( Marathon). Peggy departs Austin shortly for her
new job at ChevronTexaco. Congratulations
Peggy!
|
On
April 5, Peggy Rijken successfully defended her Petroleum
& Geosystems Engineering dissertation Modeling
Naturally Fractured Reservoirs: From Experimental Rock Mechanics
to Flow Simulation. Jon Olson
supervised the dissertation research. Committee included Sanjay
Srinivasan, Larry Lake, Randy
Marrett, Steve Laubach, and Jon
Holder. Several aspects of the dissertation research
will be presented at the July
FRAC meeting. A complete copy of the dissertation
and related slide sets are available on the Members
site. 4/5/05 |
|
 |
|
John
Hooker has joined the Bureau as a Research Scientist
Associate II, and he will be working on the Jackson School
of Geosciences Structural Diagenesis initiative. Fresh from
a Graduate Research Assistantship for the Fracture
Research and Application Consortium , John received his
M.S. in geology from UT Austin in 2004 working on faults and
his B.A. in 2000. Research interests |
include
faulting in carbonate rocks, modeling carbonate platform margin
deformation, microfracture scaling in sedimentary rocks and
using cathodoluminescence to study provenance and deformation
history. A search is under way for a Research Scientist to
join the Jackson School Structural Diagenesis initiative.
Click
here for a detailed job description. 4/11/05
|
|
Type
basement klippe, Meallan an Laoigh, on tilted foreland
Cambrian strata in Kira Diaz Tushman's Masters thesis
field area in NW Scotland. |
|
|
At
the recent GSA South Central Section Meeting in San Antonio,
Rob Reed presented Occurrence
of Mineral-Filled Microfractures in Igneous and Metamorphic
Rocks as Determined by SEM-Based Cathodoluminescence Imaging
[ Abstract
]; and Kira Diaz Tushman presented Fracture
Arrays in a Subthrust Setting: Cambrian Eriboll Group Sandstones,
NW Scotland. [ Abstract
]. Kira's field work is supported by the Jackson
School. Rob and Kira study structural diagenesis
(linked mechanical and chemical processes) with the Fracture
Research and Application Consortium. 4/5/05
|
| More information
on these studies is available on the Members
side of this site. |
|
| |
|
|
Distinguished
Visitor. Chris Scholz, professor of rock mechanics
at Columbia University and Lecturer for the UT Department
of Geological Sciences Oualline Lectureship in Geological
Sciences, lectured in Austin March 7–11. Part of that time,
he visited with members of the Fracture
Research and Application Consortium (FRAC) on
campus and at the Bureau. Because of the many parallels between
FRAC's fracture modeling and quantification and Dr. Scholz'
work, it was a stimulating visit.
3/15/05 |
|
(L
to R) Steve Laubach, Randy Marrett, Chris Scholz, Leonel
Gomez, Julia Gale, and Meghan Ward review FRAC research
results. |
|
|
AAPG
Distinguished Lecture Tour 05-06 |
 |
|
Kitty
Milliken, Senior Research Scientist in the Department
of Geological Sciences, has been invited to give a AAPG Distinguished
Lecture tour in 2005–2006. Kitty is co-principal investigator
of the Jackson School of Geosciences research initiative Fracture
Opening Processes: Chemical/Mechanical Evolution of Fracture
Systems, in collaboration with Steve Laubach,
Randy Marrett, Jon Olson, and Rob Lander. She is also a principal
scientist of the Fracture Research and Application Consortium.
03/05/05
|
|
2005
Sub-Evaporite Detachment Fractures Field Seminar |
 |
|
A
field seminar to view fracture systems beneath
a regional evaporite detachment is in the planning stages.
We intend to conduct the field seminar during February 2005.
Image to left shows one of the outcrops we will visit. See
What's New.
Members
having an interest in participating in the seminar or in learning
more about this research should contact Steve Laubach
or Meghan Ward.1/01/05 |
|
2005
Fractured Dolostone Research Meeting |
 |
|
The
goal of this January 28 meeting is a no-holds-barred
discussion of new ideas in dolostone diagenesis and fracture
development, including concepts of diagenetic modeling of
dolomite cementation and a presentation on plans for our Jackson
School of Geosciences Research Seed Grant.
Contact Julia
Gale for information and agenda. 01/19/05
See
calendar notice for
schedule.
Members
Welcome — Meetings
|
|
| |
|
| Thrust
Belt Fractures |
|
 |
Steve
Laubach and Randy Marrett spent
two weeks of December in northwest Argentina conducting field
work in fractured rocks in a fold-thrust belt.
The
trip was also an opportunity to prepare for the Fracture
Research and Application Consortium's South American
Meeting, which is currently in the planning stages for Fall
2006.
To
the right, views along the prospective field trip route at
an elevation of about 4800 m. 1/20/05 |
|
Fracture
Modeling Software |
In
2005 a new version of Jon Olson's Fracture Modeling software
is being made available to members.
A
training session on use of the software for various applications
such as quantitative fracture permeability prediction is in
the planning stage.
Contact
Jon Olson
for more information. |
|
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|
Selected
Highlights 2004 |
DOE
Outstanding Research Contribution Award |
|
|
| SPE Distinguished
Lecture Tour — Laubach |
|
|
| AAPG Distinguished
Lecture Tour — Bonnell |
|
|
| Major Jackson
School Structural Diagenesis Initiative |
|
|
| Hedberg
Research Conference |
|
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|
For
more project news, see What's
New on the Member's site. |
| |
|
