Mike Hudec was in the Paradox Basin, Utah from May 24-June 11. During this time he led field trips for Shell and CGGVeritas, and conducted 4 days of field work along the flanks of salt diapirs in the Basin. Kate Giles, Tim Lawton, and graduate student Cody Buller of New Mexico State University were guests on the CGGVeritas field trip. The field party for the mapping also included Tim Lawton and Cody Buller, along with AGL graduate student Bryce Wagner. 06/08

Martin Jackson spent from June 4 to 7 in Alps de Haute Provence (France) collaborating on field work with structural geologists Rod Graham, Robin Picher, and Bill Kilsdonk from Hess's London and Houston offices. The work shed light on the role of salt tectonics before and during Alpine folding. Photograph kindly provided by Paul Whitehouse, Hess. 06/08

Mike Hudec visited CGGVeritas' Houston office on May 13-14 to discuss salt interpretations in several Gulf of Mexico seismic volumes currently undergoing PSDM processing. The visit was provided as part of CGGVeritas' membership in the AGL consortium. 05/08

Martin Jackson provided information on the Great Kavir to a National Geographic Society researcher for use in compiling their new map of Iran, which is due to appear in the August issue of their magazine. 05/12/08

The Bureau of Economic Geology’s first award for an “Exemplary Publication of Scientific or Economic Impact” was presented to Mike Hudec and Martin Jackson on May 9th for their paper, “Terra Infirma: Understanding Salt Tectonics” published in Earth-Science Reviews (2007). 05/08

Tim Dooley and coauthors Mike Hudec and Martin Jackson won the 2008 Jules Braunstein Memorial Award for the best poster at AAPG’s Annual Convention. The paper, entitled “Dismembered sutures formed during asymmetric salt-sheet collision” described the results of Tim’s physical modeling on the origin and evolution of sutures within canopies. 04/08

Mike Hudec visited StatoilHydro's Houston office on April 28-May 2 to conduct research on salt tectonics in the central Gulf of Mexico. 04/08

AGL staff authored or coauthored 8 papers at AAPG’s Annual Convention in San Antonio. 04/08

Dooley, Tim, Jackson, M. P. A., Cartwright, J. A., and Hudec, M. R., 2008, Modeling of strain partitioning during gravity-driven deformation of multilayered evaporites and overburden (abs.): AAPG 2008 Annual Convention and Exhibition Abstracts Volume, v. 17, p. 46.

New Publication.
M. P. A. Jackson, M. R. Hudec, D. C. Jennette, and R. E. Kilby, 2008, Evolution of the Cretaceous Astrid thrust belt in the ultradeep-water Lower Congo Basin, Gabon: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 92, p. 487–511.

This issue also included a cover photograph of pinnacle weathering of extrusive salt in Kuh-e-Namak (Dashti), Iran. 04/08

Martin Jackson taught a short course on salt tectonics to ConocoPhillips in Houston, 28-29th April. 04/08

On April 24th Dean Eric Barron presented a Jackson School of Geosciences Outstanding Service Award for 2008 to Martin Jackson on behalf of the school. 04/08

On March 26-27, Mike Hudec taught a short course in salt tectonics to staff members at TGS-NOPEC. 03/08

On March 25, Mike Hudec visited CGGVeritas to discuss salt interpretations in several Gulf of Mexico seismic volumes currently undergoing PSDM processing. The visit was provided as part of CGGVeritas' membership in the AGL consortium. 03/08

On March 28th Martin Jackson consulted for Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold on Precambrian salt tectonics. 03/08

New Publication:

J. A. Cartwright and M. P. A. Jackson, 2008, Initiation of gravitational collapse of an evaporite basin margin: the Messinian saline giant, Levant Basin, eastern Mediterranean: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 120, p. 399–413.

This is the first publication from a two-part research project on Messinian salt tectonics with the School of Earth, Ocean, and Planetary Sciences at Cardiff University (Wales).

On February 28–29, Martin Jackson taught a short course on salt tectonics to McMoRan Exploration Co in Austin (Texas). 02/08

On February 26, Mike Hudec gave a series of presentations to potential geology graduate students touring the UT campus. These presentations highlighted opportunities for students in AGL research. 02/08

Martin Jackson spent the week of February 18–22 in London (United Kingdom) with Sterling Energy, teaching a short course and consulting on salt tectonics in Gabon and Madagascar. 02/08

Mike Hudec spent the week of February 11–15 visiting Pemex's offices in Villahermosa, Mexico. During the visit Mike taught a 2-day short course in salt tectonics to Pemex interpreters, and spent the remaining 3 days consulting on salt interpretations in the Salina Basin. 02/08

Mike Hudec visited the Houston offices of CGGVeritas on February 6–7, to provide input on the salt interpretation for a number of PSDM volumes currently in processing. The visit was provided as part of CGGVeritas’ membership in the AGL consortium. 02/08

Mike Hudec visited Mariner's Houston offices on February 4–5 to discuss seismic interpretations of salt structures in the Gulf of Mexico. This visit was provided as part of Mariner's membership in the AGL consortium. 02/08

Martin Jackson spent the week of January 14–19 in Seattle (Washington) with colleagues in the University of Washington’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences, working on aspects of martian geology and presenting a talk titled “Subaerial morphology and subsurface advance of allochthonous evaporite sheets.” 01/08

On January 11, Mike Hudec and Martin Jackson visited Marathon Oil (Houston, Texas) to discuss salt tectonics in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Marathon’s membership in the AGL consortium.01/08

Mike Hudec visited WesternGeco's Houston office on January 10 to give a presentation on the AGL consortium. The meeting was attended by members of WesternGeco's research group. 01/08

On January 9–10, Mike Hudec visited CGGVeritas' Houston office to conduct research on salt tectonics in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. 01/08

Mike Hudec visited Shell's Houston office on January 7–8 to provide a summary of the 2007 AGL annual meeting, and to discuss a variety of Shell's prospects in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Part of the visit was provided as a benefit of Shell's membership in the AGL consortium. 01/08

On December 11, Martin Jackson visited Total in Houston and presented several talks at an exploration workshop on the Gulf of Mexico and Angolan margin. 12/07

Tim Dooley attended the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco from December 10-15th. Tim was lead author on an oral presentation entitled "Effects of a weak crustal layer in a transtensional pull-apart basin: results from a scaled physical modeling study" along with co-authors Francis Monastero (US Navy Geothermal Program Office) and Ken McClay (University of London). 12/07

Image to right - Moscone Center, San Francisco

Mike Hudec also visited Fugro’s office in Houston on December 7, to discuss ideas for collaborative research using Fugro’s Deep Focus dataset in the Gulf of Mexico. 12/07

Mike Hudec visited WesternGeco’s Houston office on December on December 7 to give a presentation on the AGL consortium. The visit was attended by members of WesternGeco’s multiclient group. 12/07

Angela McDonnell was selected to receive AAPG's A. I. Levorsen Memorial Award for Best Oral Presentation at the 2007 Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Meeting, which was held in Corpus Christi in October. The paper (coauthored by Mike Hudec and Martin Jackson) is titled “Importance of Allochthonous Salt in Texas State Waters: Paleo-Canopy Presence and New Exploration Paradigms." Angela's research was funded by the Bureau's Deep Shelf Gas project. The A. I. Levorsen Memorial Award is presented in recognition of an outstanding paper, with particular emphasis on creative thinking toward new ideas in exploration. 12/07

Mike Hudec visited the Houston offices of CGGVeritas on December 5–6, to provide input on the salt interpretation for a number of PSDM volumes currently in processing. The visit was provided as part of CGGVeritas’ membership in the AGL consortium. 12/07

On December 3-4, Professor Joe Cartwright of the School of Earth, Ocean, and Planetary Sciences at Cardiff University (Wales) visited to continue joint research on Messinian salt tectonics in the Eastern Mediterranean. 12/07

On December 2–5, Mike Hudec attended the 27th Annual GCSSEPM Foundation Bob F. Perkins Research Conference, entitled “The Paleogene of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Basins: Processes, Events, and Petroleum Systems.” The conference was held in Houston, and focused on discussions of the anomalously thick Paleogene sand packages in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. 12/07

Researchers Mike Hudec and Martin Jackson’s 2007 paper, "Terra Infirma: Understanding Salt Tectonics", Earth Science Reviews, May, p. 1-28, was recently included in Science Direct's Top 25 Hottest Articles. The paper came in at number 18 on the chart. 11/07

Mike Hudec visited CGGVeritas’ Houston office on November 7–8 to discuss salt interpretations in several Gulf of Mexico seismic volumes currently undergoing PSDM processing. The visit was provided as part of CGGVeritas’ membership in the AGL consortium. 11/07

Mike Hudec visited the Houston offices of Nexen Petroleum on November 5–6 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Nexen’s membership in the AGL consortium. 11/07

Mike Hudec visited StatoilHydro’s Houston office October 31–November 1, to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of StatoilHydro’s membership in the AGL consortium. 11/07

Mike Hudec taught three short course for the staff of CGGVeritas in Houston during the week of October 22–26. Two of these were 2-day introductory courses in salt tectonics, and the other was a 1-day advanced seminar on the tectonics of allochthonous salt sheets in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. 10/29/07

On October 16, Mike Hudec presented a talk entitled "Mechanics of the advance of allochthonous salt sheets: implications for predicting subsalt pore pressure" at the GeoFluids III consortium meeting in Austin, Texas. This consortium, under the leadership of UT's Peter Flemings, investigates the state and evolution of pressure, stress, and fluid migration in subsalt environments, shallow water flow regimes, and thrust belts. Plans are underway for AGL to collaborate with GeoFluids III in the coming year, as we investigate the evolution of pressure and deformation below allochthonous salt sheets. 10/29/07

Nearly 100 delegates from 27 member companies attended the Applied Geodynamics Laboratory Annual Meeting on October 8–9, 2007. In celebration of AGL's 20th anniversary, the meeting was held in Moab, Utah, on the crest of the Spanish Valley salt wall. Delegates listened to 14 presentations on salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean, Paradox Basin, South Atlantic, and Mars(!), along with another 5 presentations showing physical models of salt structures. In additions to AGL geoscientists Tim Dooley, Mike Hudec, and Martin Jackson, the AGL welcomed guest lecturers Frank Peel of BHP and Angie McDonnell from the BEG's Deep Shelf Gas Project.

Following the meeting, more than 50 attendees stayed on to participate in a 2-day field trip in the Paradox Basin. The trip, led by Mike Hudec, visited the Needles fault zone, Upheaval Dome, the Cane Creek salt anticline, and Onion Creek salt dome. Here's to another 20 years for the AGL consortium! 10/29/07

Click on each photo for a larger image.

Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate Bryce Wagner, who was recently awarded three scholarships: (1) ConocoPhillips SPIRIT Scholarship, (2) Michael Bruce Duchin Endowed Presidential Scholarship, and (3) SEG Foundation Scholarship (renewed). Bryce has started his research on salt tectonics in the Applied Geodynamics Laboratory, supervised by Martin Jackson and Mark Cloos; his committee also includes BEG's Mike Hudec. 09/19/07

This photograph, taken by Bureau scientist Martin Jackson in Iran, has been selected for multimedia presentation at an exhibition entitled 'Séismes et Volcans' in the Palais de la Découverte [French Education Ministry], in Paris. The exhibition will open on October, 1, 2007, and will run for 10 years. 08/10/07

Michael Hudec visited BP's Houston office on July 2nd to discuss structural and stratigraphic patterns in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of BP's membership in the AGL consortium.

Martin Jackson visited the Houston offices of Cobalt International Energy on June 26 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. The visit was provided as part of Cobalt's membership in the AGL consortium. 06/07

The AGL bids a regretful farewell to Jozina Dirkzwager, who leaves us to accept a job with Chevron in Houston. Jozina spent about a year with AGL, during which time her finite-element modeling was critical in advancing our knowledge of salt-sheet advance mechanisms. We're sorry to see her go, but congratulate her on obtaining a job that's in the same city as her husband. Best wishes Jose. 06/07

Maersk Oil and Gas AS hosted a lecture by Martin Jackson in Copenhagen on June 15, attended by Maersk staff and members of Copenhagen University, the Geological Survey of Denmark, PGS, Altinex, and Dong Energy. The talk, entitled "Tectonic squeezing of salt stocks: field observations from Arctic Canada and laboratory simulations" included the results of modeling by AGLs Tim Dooley and field mapping with Chris Harrison of the Geological Survey of Canada. 06/07

On May 29, Mike Hudec received notice that his promotion to Senior Research Scientist was approved by the Provost of the University of Texas. Senior Research Scientist is the BEG’s highest technical level, and is the research equivalent of a full professor. Mike is reportedly very excited about the additional committee responsibilities that come with the new position. 05/07

Statoil delegates analyze stratigraphic patterns on a salt-diapir flank near the entrance to Arches National Park. Click image for a larger view.

On May 21-25, Mike Hudec led a field trip to the Paradox Basin, Utah, for Statoil. Participants discussed gravity-driven salt tectonics, structures associated with salt-dome pinchoff, deformation at the base of salt sheets, fault relays, salt welds, and a host of other topics while basking in the sun and scenery of southeast Utah. Martin Jackson also attended the trip as a guest of Statoil. 05/07

On May 18, Martin Jackson gave an invited lecture, entitled “Surface morphology of terrestrial salt structures: analogs for Mars?” at the University of Washington’s Quaternary Research Center in Seattle. This formed part of the QRC’s annual Spring Workshop on Martian Glaciation, which was attended by experts on Martian geology from the United States and Europe. Next day, there followed a six-hour informal discussion devoted to evidence for large-scale salt tectonics on Mars. 05/07

A Martian impact crater contains a remnant of water ice cap in its center and a seasonal frosting of atmospheric CO2 on its rim. Image courtesy of QRC.

On May 8, Mike Hudec was named a Jackson Research Excellence Fellow by Jackson School Dean Eric Barron. This two-year fellowship was one of 10 such awards given to researchers in the Jackson School. Congratulations, Mike! 05/07

Mike Hudec visited the offices of CGGVeritas on May 7-8 to discuss salt interpretations in several Gulf of Mexico seismic volumes currently undergoing PSDM processing. The visit was provided as part of CGGVeritas’ membership in the AGL consortium. 05/07

Graduate students Tyler Hannah and Thomas Hearon of New Mexico State University visited AGL on April 27 to discuss interpretation of aerial photographs of their field areas in the Flinders Ranges, Australia. The pair will be conducting fieldwork in the area this summer. Their work is supported by the Institute for Tectonics studies, under the leadership of Kate Giles. 04/07

Mike Hudec spent April 16-17 at CGGVeritas’ offices in Houston. Mike spent these days consulting with CGGVeritas staff on salt interpretations in several 3D PSDM datasets that are currently in processing. The visit was provided free as part of CGGVeritas’ membership in the AGL consortium. 04/07

Martin Jackson participated in Hydro’s “Professor Meeting,” an informal workshop to discuss the latest ideas and issues in salt tectonics research. The meeting was held on April 12–13 in Paracuru, a small seaside town near Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil. Participants at the workshop included geoscientists from Hydro and Petrobras and from University of Barcelona, New Mexico State University, Imperial College, Royal Holloway, IFP Paris, and Rennes University, and the University of Texas at Austin. After full days of intellectual jousting, participants were exposed to a grueling social calendar each evening to lubricate further discussion. 04/07

Attendees at the Hydro Salt Tectonics "Professor Meeting". Click for a larger image.

Mike Hudec spent the week of March 26-30 in Poza Rica, Mexico, visiting Pemex’s offices. Mike presented a short course on salt tectonics, then spent several days discussing salt tectonics along the Mexican Gulf Coast with Pemex interpreters. 03/07

Mike Hudec visited Marathon’s Houston office on March 7 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa. Mike also gave a lunchtime technical presentation based on recent AGL research concerning evolution of the salt-canopy system in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Marathon’s membership in the AGL consortium. 03/07

Mike Hudec visited the Houston offices of ConocoPhillips on March 5-6 to discuss salt tectonics in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of ConocoPhillips’ membership in the AGL consortium. 03/07

Mike Hudec presented two short courses on salt tectonics at PGS’s Houston office on February 20-22. The first was a two-day course on basic salt tectonics. The second was a newly developed one-day module on advanced concepts in interpretation of allochthonous salt. 02/07

Mike Hudec visited Houston on February 19 to consult with CGGVeritas staff regarding salt interpretation on several Gulf of Mexico data volumes currently undergoing depth processing. This visit was provided as part of CGGVeritas’ membership in the AGL consortium. 02/07

Nancy Cottington and Martin Jackson attended an ESRI training course on ArcGIS in San Antonio, Texas, on January 29-30. Nancy uses this software for AGL’s digital atlas, The Salt Mine, and for other projects, such as the compilation of global salt basins. 01/07

Bureau Research Scientist Mike Hudec recently completed his second two-week tour as a 2006-07 AAPG Distinguished Lecturer. During the tours, Mike made presentations to the Asociación Mexicana de Geólogos Petroleros A.C. (Delegación Poza Rica), New Mexico State University, The University of Texas – El Paso, Montana State University, the Montana Geological Society (Billings), University of Wyoming, Dalhousie University, Bowling Green State University, Ohio State University, Northern Illinois University, Indiana University, University of Missouri – Rolla, University of Kentucky, and Florida International University. Mike’s two talks were entitled “Advance mechanisms of allochthonous salt sheets: implications for predicting subsalt pore pressure” and “Evolution of suprasalt minibasins in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.” 01/07

Martin Jackson discussed seismic interpretation in the northern Gulf of Mexico while visiting the offices of Maxus (Repsol) in The Woodlands, Texas on January 18–19. 01/07

Mike Hudec presented a short course in salt tectonics at ConocoPhillips’ Houston office on January 11-12. Discussion was extremely lively during the course, with the result that delegates never even got a chance to work the final exercise! 01/07

Mike Hudec spent a day at Veritas’ Houston office on January 10, consulting on various depth-imaging projects in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided free of charge as part of Veritas’ membership in the AGL consortium. 01/07

New Publication. Based on field work in 2004, this is the first paper from a joint study by the Applied Geodynamics Laboratory and Geological Survey of Canada on exposed evaporite diapirs in the Sverdrup Basin.

Jackson, M. P. A., and Harrison, J. C., 2006, An allochthonous salt canopy on Axel Heiberg Island, Sverdrup Basin, Arctic Canada: Geology, v. 34, p. 1045–1048.

Martin Jackson spent December 14-15 at Maersk’s offices in Copenhagen, where he presented lectures and discussed the geology of deepwater Angola and Brazil.

Picture shows Maersk geoscientists, Lene Clausen and Niels Schødt near Maersk’s headquarters in the harbor.

New Publication:

Summary publication from the salt tectonics/stratigraphy/paleosol study in the Paradox Basin conducted jointly with researchers from Baylor University.

Prochnow, S. J., Atchley, S. C., Boucher, T. E., Nordt, L. C., and Hudec, M. R., 2006, The influence of salt withdrawal subsidence on paleosol maturity and cyclic fluvial deposition in the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation: Castle Valley, Utah: Sedimentology, v. 53, p. 1319–1345.

Mike Hudec conducted the first of two AAPG Distinguished Lecturer tours on November 27-December 6. On this trip he presented lectures for the Asociación Mexicana de Geólogos Peroleros (Poza Rica Chapter), New Mexico State University, The University of Texas at El Paso, Montana State University, the Montana Geological Society (Billings), and the University of Wyoming. A second tour will take place in late January – early February. 12/06

Martin Jackson spent November 27-30 at Statoil’s offices in Houston, teaching a short course on salt tectonics and discussing Gulf of Mexico seismic data. 11/06

Mike Hudec spent the week of November 6-10 consulting for various companies in Houston. On November 6-7 he taught a short course to Veritas. On November 8 Mike spent the day in Woodside’s office discussing Gulf of Mexico seismic data. Finally, on November 9-10 Mike taught another salt-tectonics short course, this time for Fugro.11/06

Attendance was 130 strong, attendees representing 20 companies, at the Applied Geodynamics Laboratory’s 19th annual Industrial Associates meeting, which was held in Austin November 2 and 3. AGL members José Dirkzwager, Tim Dooley, Mike Hudec, and Martin Jackson presented 15 talks over the 1½ -day meeting, covering topics that ranged from submarine thrusts in the Gulf of Mexico to salt canopies in the Canadian Arctic. Guest speakers Joe Cartwright (Cardiff University, Wales), Teunis Heyn (BP), and Patricia Montoya (Anadarko) presented additional material that was based on seismic interpretations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico. The finale of the meeting was a tour of AGL’s physical modeling facilities, during which delegates were presented an overview of the technology that goes into simulating salt structures in the lab and were given the opportunity to watch an actively deforming model. 11/03/06

New Publication:

A summary of AGL’s recent thinking on the development of allochthonous salt sheets.

Hudec, M. R., and Jackson, M. P. A., 2006, Advance of allochthonous salt sheets in passive margins and orogens: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 90, no. 10, p. 1535–1564.

Mike Hudec filled in for Martin Jackson in teaching Martin’ new two-day short course entitled “Deep-Water Salt Tectonics” on September 14-15. The course premiered as part of AAPG’s Fall Education Conference in Houston. Illness prevented Martin from teaching his course, and Mike was a last-minute replacement. Delegates to the conference report that they survived the experience.

Martin Jackson visited the exploration office of Petrobras in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 30 to September 1. He taught a one-day short course in salt tectonics for Petrobras staff and discussed salt-tectonics in several Brazilian basins as an AGL service. Martin then traveled north to Aracaju as a guest of Petrobras to present an invited talk at the Brazilian Geological Congress, titled “Salt extrusion, roof dispersion, and deep intrusion of salt into and out of squeezed stocks”, coauthored by Tim Dooley, who carried out the physical modeling for the paper, and Mike Hudec.
8/2006

On August 22, Mike Hudec and Martin Jackson visited AGL member, BP Exploration, Houston, to examine seismic data and discuss progress in joint research on salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico.
8/2006

On August 24, we made presentations to visiting geoscientists from Chevron about the AGL research program, which Chevron supports.
8/2006

Mike Hudec visited Woodside’s offices in Perth, Australia from August 28-September 1. While there, Mike taught a 2-day short course in salt tectonics for staff from Woodside, Roc Oil, and Hardman Resources. Mike also discussed salt-tectonic interpretations with Woodside interpreters in several basins. A portion of the visit was provided free of charge as a benefit of Woodside’s membership in the AGL.
8//2006

Mark Rowan (Rowan Consulting, Boulder) visited on July 29 for discussions with Martin Jackson. We compared salt tectonics in the Sverdrup Basin in Arctic Canada (Carboniferous to Eocene) and the Flinders Ranges in South Australia (Neoproterozoic to Cambrian). Despite their vastly different age, these provinces have many similarities, especially the occurrence of allochthonous tectonics, mild orogenic overprint, good to excellent outcrop, and a dearth of seismic data.
07/2006

On July 17-18, Mike Hudec visited Veritas’ Houston office. The purpose of the visit was to study subsalt structures in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, as part of a new study of salt-stock canopy geometries.
07/2006

On July 11, Martin Jackson and Mike Hudec visited BP’s offices in Houston. They participated in a seminar discussing models for salt-sheet advance, and the implications for these models on slope stability.
07/2006

New Publication:

Invited paper based on AGL Ph.D. student Patricia Montoya’s dissertation research:

Montoya, P., Tatham, R., Fisher, W., Steel, R., and Hudec, M., 2006, Definition of depositional geological elements in deep-water minibasins of the Gulf of Mexico using spectral decomposition in depth domain, in EAGE 68th Conference and Exhibition, Paper Number C008, Session: Best of SEG, Vienna, Austria, June 12–15, p. 480–485.

Mike Hudec led a field trip to the Paradox Basin, Utah for Kerr-McGee on June 4-8. Attendees looked at structure and stratigraphy around both extensional and compressional salt structures, and related these observations to seismic data from the Gulf of Mexico.
06/2006

Photo: Structures in layered evaporites within the Onion Creek salt diapir. Click for larger image.

Mike Hudec visited AGL member Veritas Hampson-Russell at their Houston office on June 19-20. Mike consulted with VHR's PSDM Interpretation team, providing input on salt interpretations for Veritas Gulf of Mexico datasets currently in processing.
06/2006

Mike Hudec visited AGL member ExxonMobil's Houston offices on June 21-22. Mike consulted with teams working in the Gulf of Mexico and Africa.
06/2006

AOA Geophysical President and AGL consultant Dan Orange visited AGL in Austin on June 27. AGL is collaborating with Dan to see how his expertise in marine geomorphology can be used to understand salt-sheet advance mechanisms.
06/2006

Dr Frank Monastero visited the BEG in early June to discuss strike-slip modeling with Tim Dooley. Frank heads the US Navy Geothermal Program Office, working out of Ridgecrest, California. The Coso geothermal field, located near Ridgecrest, is one of the world's largest geothermal prospects and a major supplier of power to the electricity grid in California. Tim has a research contract with the USGPO for 2006-2008, looking at factors influencing strike-slip stepover location and evolution along strike-slip and transtensional fault systems. This research will integrate with an investigation into strike-slip salt tectonics as one of the active modeling programs within AGL.
06/2006

Above - some of the geothermal facility and spectacular volcanic domes. Right - a test well lets off some steam. Click the photos for larger image.

On Saturday, June 24th, the Bureau hosted a full day of filming salt-tectonics research for a 4-hour television series called “Faces of Earth”, which the Discovery Channel will broadcast in 2007. The film, which aims to give a face to the geoscience community, is being produced by Evergreen Films, LLC, maker of Emmy-award-winning productions about dinosaurs. The American Geological Institute is sponsoring the series, and the Jackson School of Geosciences Foundation is a contributor. Bureau Director Scott Tinker will most likely co-host the series. Using two HD digital video cameras, a film crew shot a physical model run in the Applied Geodynamics Laboratory, with commentary, on and off camera, by Tim Dooley and Martin Jackson. The scene then shifted to the AGL work area, where Martin Jackson continued his commentary, on camera, while the crew’s own experiment (Fun with Silicone) was captured by time-lapse photography. The film will feature material contributed by Tim, Martin, and Mike Hudec. The film crew’s next assignment was to shoot Charlie Kerans in the Guadalupe Mountains.
06/2006

Martin Jackson was awarded the Joseph C. Walter Excellence Award by Dean Bill Fisher on behalf of the University's Jackson School of Geosciences. The award is given annually to faculty and research staff "in recognition of outstanding service and special contributions to teaching and research programs."
05/2006

Petroleum Systems Manager Sylvia Couto Anjos and Senior Geologic Advisor Adali Ricardo Spadini of AGL member Petrobras visited Austin on May 11. Mike Hudec provided an overview of AGL research and gave them a demonstration of The Salt Mine – AGL’s interactive atlas of salt tectonics. 05/2006

Ken Umbach of AGL member EnCana visited AGL in Austin on April 20 to discuss salt tectonics in Oman. The day was spent looking at seismic and discussing the roles of basement structure and sedimentation in controlling evolution of InfraCambrian Hormuz salt in the area. 04/2006

Tim Dooley and Mike Hudec were both senior authors on talks at the 2006 AAPG Annual Meeting in Houston. Mike’s talk, entitled “Mechanics of the advance of buried salt sheets and implications for predicting subsalt pore pressure” summarized AGL’s recent research on the emplacement of buried salt sheets. Martin Jackson and Dan Schultz-Ela were coauthors. Tim’s talk was titled “Allochtonous salt extrusion, roof dispersion, and intrusive import and export of salt in squeezed stocks.” This paper showed some of Tim’s physical models of squeezed diapirs, and included several truly striking movies of salt-sheet extrusion. Martin Jackson was a co-author. Mike Hudec presented the talk on behalf of Tim. 04/2006

Mike Hudec provided an overview of the AGL to staff from the China University of Petroleum on April 7. These delegates were visiting the Bureau of Economic Geology to explore possible joint research initiatives. 04/2006

New Publication:

Results from a joint salt tectonics/stratigraphy/paleosol study in the Paradox Basin conducted jointly with researchers from Baylor University.

Prochnow, S. J., Nordt, L. C., Atchley, S. C., and Hudec, M. R., 2006, Multi-proxy paleosol evidence for middle and late Triassic climate trends in eastern Utah: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecolology, v. 232, p. 53–72.

AGL graduate student Patricia Montoya gave a technical presentation summarizing her Ph.D. research to the Department of Geological Sciences on March 9. Patricia's dissertation examines the influence of salt tectonics on sediment-transport systems in deep-water minibasins in the Gulf of Mexico. This work is based on 3200 km² of 3-D pre-stack depth migrated seismic data donated to AGL by Veritas Marine Surveys. 03/2006

Mike Hudec taught short courses on "Principles and Applications of Salt Tectonics" and "Allochthonous Salt Tectonics" to geophysicists at Veritas Hampson Russell on February 27–28. 02/2006

Mike Hudec visited BP's offices in Sunbury, England on February 20–21. Mike presented highlights from the 2005 AGL annual meeting, and consulted with interpreters from several groups working in the Lower Congo Basin and West Africa. 02/2005

Martin Jackson was nominated for the University Cooperative Society 2006 Career Research Excellence Award, the premier award for researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. 02/2005

AGL Ph.D. candidate Patricia Montoya received notification that her paper "Definition of depositional geological elements in deep-water minibasins of the Gulf of Mexico using spectral decomposition in depth domain" was selected as one of the top 25 papers presented at the 2005 SEG Annual Meeting. The meeting was held in Houston on November 6–11. Co-authors on the paper were Robert Tatham, Bill Fisher, and Ron Steel of the UT Department of Geological Sciences, and Mike Hudec of AGL. 02/2006

Mike Hudec taught a short course "Principles and Applications of Salt Tectonics" to students in UT's Department of Geological Sciences on January 25 and 27. The course was sponsored by the University of Texas AAPG Student Chapter, and was attended by 20 graduate and undergraduate students. 01/2006

Mike Hudec visited ExxonMobil's Houston offices on January 16–17. Mike presented highlights from the 2005 AGL annual meeting, and consulted with interpreters from several Gulf of Mexico work groups. 01/2006

Tim Dooley was promoted to Research Scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology in November and started officially in that capacity on December 15th, 2005. 12/2005

New Publication:

The final paper in a quartet of papers dealing with salt tectonics and tectonics in the Kwanza Basin of Angola was published.

Jackson, M. P. A, Hudec, M. R., and Hegarty, K. A., 2005, The great West-African Tertiary coastal uplift: Fact or fiction? A Perspective from the Angolan divergent margin: Tectonics, v. 24, TC6014, 23 p.12/2005

Joe Cartwright spent a week examining outcrops in the Santa Cruz and Panoche Hills regions of central California, to attempt to refine our understanding of the genesis of sandstone intrusions. He spent two days at an ExxonMobil-hosted symposium on the characteristics of fine-grained rocks. This symposium was held at the Upstream Research, Technical Training Center in Houston, and Joe delivered two seminars, "The Impact of Polygonal Faults on E and P", and "Are Seismic Facies really non-unique?" He also visited the Houston office of Anadarko to present a seminar on "The Physical properties of Caprocks." Joe's work with Martin Jackson on the Messinian of the Eastern Mediterranean commenced with a regional review, and definition of the key technical issues. 12/2005

Mike Hudec was the speaker at the Houston Geological Society's Joint General and North American Dinner Meeting on December 12. Mike's presentation was entitled "A compressional origin for minibasins near the Sigsbee Scarp, Gulf of Mexico." 12/2005

Mike Hudec visited Kerr-McGee's Houston office on November29–December 2. Mike taught a short course and discussed salt interpretations in the Gulf of Mexico. 12/2005

Martin Jackson spent a day with Anadarko (The Woodlands), where he presented a lecture on salt welds and discussed salt tectonics in the northern Gulf of Mexico. 12/2005

On November 22, Mike Hudec gave a talk to UT graduate students as part of their weekly Technical Session Series. Mike's presentation was entitled "A compressional origin for minibasins near the Sigsbee Escarpment, Gulf of Mexico." 11/2005

Mike Hudec and Martin Jackson visited BP's Houston office on November 3 to discuss plans for continuation of our research into mechanisms of salt-sheet advance. 11/2005

Oriol Ferrer, a PhD candidate at the University of Barcelona, Spain, continued his three-month stay in Austin, interpreting seismic data from the offshore extension of the Cantabrian-Aquitaine Basins in the Bay of Biscay. The purpose of his stay, was to interact with AGL staff to explain this little-known region of contractional salt tectonics, including allochthonous salt. Oriol's visit was funded by the Spanish government and hosted by Martin Jackson; Josep Anton Muñoz supervises his PhD in Barcelona. 11/2005

Tim Dooley spent a couple of weeks in the UK during November to renew his visa as well as working with Ken McClay and Paul Whitehouse at the Geology Department, Royal Holloway University of London, near Windsor in Surrey. 11/2005

On October 20 and 21, 2005, the Applied Geodynamics Laboratory held its 18th annual review meeting for companies sponsoring the consortium. A record 114 visitors registered to hear 19 new technical

presentations by the AGL team on the diverse topics of salt tectonics. Guests Joe Cartwright and Peter Cobbold were featured speakers. The meeting concluded with an optional tour of the physical modeling lab, where a model is under way. 10/2005

Mike Hudec visited Forest Oil's offices in Denver October 4–6 to present a short course and to discuss salt tectonics in offshore Gabon with Forest Oil and their partners Paladin Resources, Tullow Oil, Petro SA, and la Direction Générale des Hydrocarbures (DGH, Gabon). 10/2005

Mike Hudec presented “A compressional origin for minibasins near the Sigsbee Scarp, Gulf of Mexico” during a BEG Technical Seminar on Friday, September 12. The paper, presented earlier this year at the AAPG Annual Meeting in Calgary, presents evidence that most minibasins near the Sigsbee Escarpment formed as a result of shortening induced by flow patterns in the Sigsbee salt canopy. 09/2005

Mike Hudec led a field course to the Paradox Basin, Utah for AGL Industrial Associate Hydro Oil and Energy on September 25–30. Despite occasional vehicular forays into the mud, a good time was had by all. 09/2005

Mike Hudec has been chosen to receive the 2006 George C. Matson Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists for his talk “A Compressional Origin for Minibasins near the Sigsbee Escarpment, Gulf of Mexico.” [Abstract] Mike's talk was judged as the best oral presentation at the 2005 annual convention held in June in Calgary, on the basis of both scientific

quality of content and excellence in presentation. The paper was co-authored by Martin Jackson and AGL alumnus Dan Schultz-Ela.

The research is based on AGL's analysis of a Veritas 3-D prestack-depth-migrated volume along the Sigsbee Escarpment. Theory and observation suggest that many minibasins above the Sigsbee salt canopy began subsiding during shortening. If so, minibasin stratigraphy can be divided into three phases: (1) preshortening, in which the minibasin did not exist, (2) synshortening, in which sands are concentrated in linear synclines between thrust anticlines, and (3) postshortening, in which sands are broadly distributed across the floor of the subsiding basin. Reservoir geometries are likely to be very different depending on which phase they are associated with. Continuing research is investigating the quantitative seismic geomorphology associated with each stage of minibasin evolution. 08/2005

Mike Hudec visited AGL member BHP-Billiton on July 18–20 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. Mike presented a one-day short course on allochthonous salt systems, and spent the other conducting workshops on various subsalt datasets. 08/2005

New Publication:

Prochnow, S. J., L. C. Nordt, S. C. Atchley, M. Hudec, and T. E. Boucher, 2005, Triassic paleosol catenas associated with a salt-withdrawal minibasin in southeastern Utah, U.S.A.: Rocky Mountain Geology, v. 40, p. 25–29. 07/2005

Martin Jackson travelled to Beijing, China from June 25th to July 5th to attend the international conference, "Theory and Application of Fault-related Folding in Foreland Basins". Martin presented a talk entitled “Progressive Effects of Shortening Superposed on Extensional Diapirs and Faults in Deep-Water Lower Congo Basin, Gabon” and attended the post-conference field trip to the north and south Tianshan foreland basin. 06/2005

Mike Hudec spent June 6–10 in Houston, visiting AGL members Woodside and ConocoPhillips. Discussions were focused on salt and subsalt interpretation in joint venture acreage in the Gulf of Mexico. 06/2005

Mike Hudec was in Calgary June 19–22 to attend the AAPG Annual Meeting. While there, Mike presented a talk entitled "A compressional origin for minibasins near the Sigsbee Scarp, Gulf of Mexico." 06/2005

Martin Jackson visited AGL member ExxonMobil on June 15 to discuss salt tectonics in the Middle East. 06/2005

Mike Hudec and Martin Jackson visited AGL Member Hydro Oil and Energy's offices in Bergen and Oslo, Norway, on May 23–26. They presented a short course and discussed salt tectonics with members of Hydro's research and exploration groups. 05/2005

New Publication

AGL's research on stratigraphic effects of translation across the Atlantic Hinge Zone in the deep-water Kwanza Basin was published as:

Jackson, M. P. A. and Hudec, M. R., 2005, Stratigraphic record of translation down ramps in a passive-margin detachment: Journal of Structural Geology, v. 27, p. 889-911. 05/2005

Tim Dooley's work on basement controls on salt tectonics, conducted for Shell UK during his tenure as Lab Manager at Royal Holloway University of London was published as:

Dooley, T., McClay, K. R., Hempton, M. & Smit, D. 2005. Salt tectonics above complex basement extensional fault systems: results from analogue modelling. In: DORE´ , A. G. & VI NI NG, B. A. (eds) Petroleum Geology: North-West Europe and Global Perspectives—Proceedings of the 6th Petroleum Geology Conference, 1631 – 1648. q Petroleum Geology Conferences Ltd. Published by the Geological Society, London. 05/2005