2019 News
December 2019
Frank Peel, Gillian Apps and Mike Hudec visited CNOOC in Houston on December 3. Portions of the visit were provided as part of CNOOC’s membership in the AGL consortium.
The annual GCSSEPM Perkins-Rosen meeting was held in Houston on December 4–6. The meeting was entitled Salt Tectonics, Associated Processes, and Exploration Potential: Revisited: 1989–2019, and featured a number of presentations by AGL staff. These presentations were:
John Snedden, Ian Norton, Mike Hudec, and Frank Peel, Paleogeographic reconstruction of the Louann salt basin.
Mike Hudec and Frank Peel, A critical review of models for deposition of the Louann salt, and implications for Gulf of Mexico evolution.
Mahdi Heidari, Maria Nikolinakou, Mike Hudec, and Peter Flemings, Controls of interbedded sand beds on pore pressure, stresses, and evolution of a salt system.
Gillian Apps, Tim Dooley, and Alex Bump, Can Deep Mantle Processes Influence Regional Salt Tectonics?
Frank Peel, Paleo-Oceanographic Preconditioning Promotes Precipitation: How the Global Context is a Key Factor for Understanding Bajocian Louann Salt Deposition.
Frank Peel, Andy Pulham, Thierry Rives, Bryan Delph, Jean-Francois Salel, Tim Nicholson, John Wu and Rick Requejo, The age of the Louann Salt: Insights from historic isotopic analyses in salt stocks from the onshore interior salt basins of the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
Olly Duffy, Naiara Fernandez, Frank Peel, Mike Hudec, Gillian Apps, Dallas Dunlap, and Chris Jackson, Redirection of submarine channels by minibasin obstruction on a salt-detached slope: an example from above the Sigsbee canopy.
Tim Dooley and Mike Hudec, Loading complex salt isopachs: progradation across segmented salt-filled rift systems.
Maria Nikolinakou, Mahdi Heidari, Mike Hudec, and Peter Flemings, Geomechanical modeling of diapirism in in extensional settings: controls on diapir rise and fall.
Naiara Fernandez, Olly Duffy, Frank Peel, Mike Hudec, Gillian Apps, and Chris Jackson, Mass-transport complexes (MTCs) steered by minibasin obstruction and extensional breakaway on a salt-detached slope: an example from above the Sigsbee canopy.
Mike Hudec and Naiara Fernandez visited Ecopetrol’s Houston office on December 11 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Ecopetrol’s membership in the AGL consortium.
On December 12, Mike Hudec and Naiara Fernandez visited Total in Houston to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Total’s membership in the AGL consortium.
Mike Hudec and Olly Duffy visited ExxonMobil’s Houston office on December 13 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of ExxonMobil’s membership in the AGL consortium.
At the British Sedimentological Research Group, 58th Annual General Meeting, Royal Holloway, University of London, held December 13-17th, 2019 two AGL researchers presented. Gillian Apps presented "Sediment transport over complex salt topography: fill and spill revisited". Co-authors: Frank Peel, Oliver Duffy, Naiara Fernandez and Stan Stanbrook. Frank Peel presented "Mud diapirism and catastrophic fluidization triggered by MTC collapse down a salt scarp: What happens when a hundred billion tonnes of mud falls down a 1km-high slope?" Co-authors: Gillian Apps, Oliver Duffy, Naiara Fernandez and Mike Hudec.
November 2019
More than 160 delegates from 24 AGL member companies attended the 31st AGL Annual Review Meeting, held in Austin on November 7–8. Delegates were treated to 24 presentations from AGL scientists and collaborators, Gillian Apps, Donald Christie, Tim Dooley, Jean Joseph d'Hooghvorst, Ollie Duffy, Naiara Fernandez, Baiyuan Gao, Mahdi Heidari, Mike Hudec, Chris Jackson, David Mohrig, Maria Nikolinaou, Frank Peel, and Juan Soto. Click here for a pdf of pictures from the meeting.
Mike Hudec and Juan Soto (pictured) visited a series of companies in Houston on November 11–12 to discuss plans for AGLs new initiative studying mobile shale. Mike and Juan visited BHP and PGS on November 11, and Repsol on November 12.
On November 21, Mike Hudec and Olly Duffy visited Repsol’s Houston office to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Repsol’s membership in the AGL consortium.
October 2019
New publication:
Hudec, M.R., Dooley, T.P, Peel, F.J., and Soto, J.I., 2019, Controls on the evolution of passive-margin salt basins: Structure and evolution of the Salina del Bravo region, northeastern Mexico: GSA Bulletin, doi: 10.1130/B35283.1
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New publication:
Fernandez, N., Hudec, M.R., Jackson, C.A-L., Dooley, T.P., Duffy, O.B., (2019) The competition for salt and kinematic interactions between minibasins during density-driven subsidence: observations from numerical models. Petroleum Geoscience. DOI: 10.1144/petgeo2019-051
Mike Hudec and Naiara Fernandez participated in a field expedition to the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco from October 3–12. This trip was led by Antonio Teixell and María-Luisa Arboleya, both of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, who have been working in the area for decades. This trip marked the initiation of a multi-year collaboration between AGL and UAB, looking at the evolution of salt structures in the range.
Mike Hudec gave a talk entitled “Evolution of the Salina del Bravo, Mexico: the Bravo Trough, Sigsbee Canopy and Perdido Fold Belt” at the GSA annual meeting, held in Phoenix on October 23–25. The talk was given as part of a special session featuring presentations by AAPG Distinguished Lecturers.
On October 24–25, Mike Hudec visited the Houston offices of WesternGeco to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of WesternGeco’s membership in the AGL consortium.
Leonardo M. Pichel gave a presentation titled "Base-Salt Relief Controls on Salt-Tectonic Structural Style, São Paulo Plateau, Santos Basin, Brazil at a meeting hosted by The Geological Society, London, Salt Tectonics: Rocks that Flow on October 29-31, 2019. Co-authors: Chris Jackson, Frank Peel, and Tim Dooley.
September 2019
Mike Hudec led a field trip entitled “Salt and Extensional Tectonics in the Paradox Basin, Utah” on September 8–13. The trip was attended by representatives from BHP, Equinor, Fieldwood, Hess, Saudi Aramco, and Shell.
August 2019
New publication:
Hooghvorst J.J*, Harrold T.W.D., Nikolinakou M.A., Fernandez O., Marcuello A. (2019): Comparison of stresses in 3D vs 2D geomechanical modelling of salt structures in the Tarfaya basin, West African Coast; Petroleum Geoscience, https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2018-095
New publication:
Jackson C.A-L, Duffy O.B., Fernandez, N, Dooley T.P, Hudec M.R., Jackson M.P.A and Burg G. 2019. The stratigraphic record of minibasin subsidence, Precaspian Basin, Kazakhstan. Basin Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12393
On August 26, 2019, Maria Nikolinakou visited the UTEP Geological Sciences department and was the first seminar speaker for the Fall 2019 semester. Maria also spent time with students from the salt groups of Dr. Giles and Dr. Langford.
On August 30, Mike Hudec gave a talk entitled “Salt Tectonics in the Southern Gulf of Mexico: a Window into Basin Opening” at the University of Houston weekly departmental seminar.
July 2019
New publication:
Heidari M., Nikolinakou M. A., Hudec M.R., and Flemings P.B., Influence of a reservoir bed on diapirism and drilling hazards near a salt diapir: a geomechanical approach. Petroleum Geoscience, 25, 282-297, 2019, doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2018-113.
New publication:
Nikolinakou M. A., Goteti R., and Heidari M., Mechanics of salt systems; state of the field in numberical methods, Petroleum Geoscience, 25, 249-250, 23 July 2019, doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2019-086
The August issue of Petroleum Geoscience is the 25th Anniversary issue for the Journal.
New publication:
Coleman A.J., Duffy O.B., and Jackson C.A-L. 2019. Growth folds above propagating normal faults. Earth-Science Reviews. Volume 196. doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.102885
New publication:
Duffy O.B., Fernandez N., Peel F.J., Hudec M.R., Dooley T.P., and Jackson C.A-L. 2019. Obstructed Minibasins on a Salt‐Detached Slope: An Example from above the Sigsbee Canopy, Northern Gulf of Mexico. Basin Research. doi/full/10.1111/bre.12380
On July 22, Mike Hudec and Mahdi Heidari visited BHP’s Houston office to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of BHP’s membership in the AGL consortium.
Tim Dooley visited Hess in Houston on July 25 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Hess' membership in the AGL consortium.
June 2019
Maria Nikolinakou attended the 53 US Rock Mechanics Geomechanics Symposium (ARMA) in Brooklyn, New York on June 23-27, 2019. She presented a paper on geomechanical modeling of sediment stress-level dependency with application to a salt system. Maria also chaired a session on Constitutive behavior in geomechanics: experiments, simulations and applications, and was member of the organizing committee. Picture: Organizing committee 2019
Mahdi Heidari attended the 53 US Rock Mechanics Geomechanics Symposium (ARMA) in Brooklyn, New York on June 23-27, 2019. He was the chair of Awards Committee and presented an oral talk entitled:"Impacts of stress-level dependency of mudrock mechanical behavior on the pore pressure and geometry of critical tapers".
May 2019
New publication:
Pichel, L. M., Jackson, C. A-L., Peel, F., & Dooley, T. P. (2019). Base‐salt relief controls salt‐tectonic structural style, São Paulo Plateau, Santos Basin, Brazil. Basin Research, 363(1), 303–32. doi.org/10.1111/bre.12375Basin Research, 363(1), 303–32. doi.org/10.1111/bre.12375
New publication:
Nikolinakou M.A., Heidari M., Hudec M.R., Flemings P.B., 2019: Stress and deformation in plastic mudrocks overturning in front of advancing salt sheets; implications for system kinematics and drilling; Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00603-019-01852-2.
New publication:
Michael R. Hudec, Ian O. Norton; Upper Jurassic structure and evolution of the Yucatán and Campeche subbasins, southern Gulf of Mexico: AAPG Bulletin (2019) 103 (5): 1133-1151, doi 10.1306/11151817405
On May 7, 2019 Maria Nikolinakou visited Hess to present her work in geomechanical modeling.
On May 12–17, Mike Hudec led a field trip for Repsol entitled “Salt and Extensional Tectonics in the Paradox Basin.” Mike and roughly 20 delegates from Repsol studied salt structures and their sedimentary response in the spectacular scenery of southeast Utah.
Members of the AGL team made a strong showing at the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition 2019, held May 19-22, 2019 in San Antonio, Texas:
Mahdi Heidari presented his poster “Integration of Geomechanical Modeling and Seismic Data to Predict Pore Pressure and Stress in Complex Subsurface Settings”.
Oliver Duffy gave an oral presentation, “Minibasin Obstruction by Base-Salt Welding on a Salt-Detached Slope: An Example from the Northern Gulf of Mexico”. Authors: Duffy O, Fernandez N, Peel F, Hudec, M, Dooley T, Jackson C A-L.
Frank Peel gave an oral presentation, “How long does it take to deposit a salt giant? (Louann Salt, Gulf of Mexico)”. Author: Peel F
Tim Dooley presented two posters. (1) “Shortening of Diapir Provinces: Translation, Tilting and Rotation of Minibasins in Isolated Minibasin Systems”. Authors: Dooley TP, Duffy O, Hudec MR, Fernandez N and (2) “Loading a Complex Salt Isopach: Progradation Across a Salt-Filled Rift System”. Authors: Dooley TP, and Hudec MR
Maria Nikolinakou gave an oral presentation, “Evolution of Pressure and Stress in Salt-Suture Mudrocks”. Authors: Nikolinakou M, Heidari M, Hudec MR, Flemings PF. Maria also was a co-organizer of the Salt Sub-theme and co-chaired with Oliver Duffy a salt sub-theme poster session.
Mike Hudec gave a talk titled “Evolution of the Salina del Bravo Region, Mexico: The Bravo Trough, Sigsbee Canopy and Perdido Fold Belt”, Authors: Hudec MR, Dooley TP, and Peel F.
The entire salt tectonics session was a tribute to the scientific achievements of the late Martin Jackson, founder of AGL.
Maria Nikolinakou presented at Chevron’s Geomechanics workshop on May 19, 2019.
April 2019
Oliver Duffy attended the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, Austria from April 8th-11th. Oliver delivered an oral presentation on recent AGL work focusing on how minibasins become obstructed on salt-detached slopes, using an example from the Gulf of Mexico. This work was co- authored by Naiara Fernandez, Frank Peel, Mike Hudec, Tim Dooley and Chris Jackson.
Oliver Duffy then continued his European adventure and attended the AAPG GTW workshop on EuroAsian Mature Salt Basins in Krakow, Poland from April 16th-18th. Oliver delivered an oral presentation on recent AGL work on the Precaspian Basin. In addition, posters on related themes, lead-authored by Naiara Fernandez and Tim Dooley, were also presented. As part of this trip, Oliver took part in a field trip to the world famous Wieliczka Salt Mine. The mine has been active since 1330 and contains vast underground chambers and ornate chapels carved from salt.
On April 8, 2019 Oliver Duffy, Tim Dooley, Mike Hudec and Naiara Fernandez received the 2019 Tinker Family BEG Publication Award for Exemplary Publication of Scientific or Economic Impact for their paper:
Duffy, O. B., Dooley, T. P., Hudec, M. R., Jackson, M. P. A., Fernandez, N., Jackson C. A-L., and Soto J. I., 2018, Structural evolution of salt-influenced fold-and-thrust belts: a synthesis and new insights from basins containing isolated salt diapirs: Journal of Structural Geology, v. 114,p. 206-221, doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2018.06.024
Maria Nikolinakou visited Northern Illinois University at DeKalb, Illinois on April 19, 2019 to give the Geology and Environmental Geosciences departmental seminar.
March 2019
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Mike Hudec visited the Petronas office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 25–April 2. While there, Mike taught two short courses on salt tectonics and discussed salt structures in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Brazil, offshore West Africa, and Red Sea with Petronas staff. Parts of the visit were provided as part of Petronas’ membership in the AGL consortium.
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February 2019
New publication:
Antje Lenhart, Christopher A.-L. Jackson, Rebecca E. Bell, Oliver B. Duffy, Robert L. Gawthorpe, Haakon Fossen; Structural architecture and composition of crystalline basement offshore west Norway. Lithosphere: doi.org/10.1130/L668.1
Mike Hudec and John Snedden visited WesternGeco’s Houston office on February 7 to discuss collaborative research opportunities.
Mike Hudec and Naiara Fernandez visited Talos Energy’s offices in Houston on February 19 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Talos’ membership in the AGL consortium.
Mike Hudec spent the day at Blazier Elementary School on February 22 as part of Career Day. Mike represented geosciences, and went through about a pound of dry ice while making a paper mache volcano erupt more than 100 times.
January 2019
Mike Hudec presented “Evolution of the Salina del Bravo, Mexico: the Bravo Trough, Sigsbee Canopy and Perdido Fold Belt” as part of the Bureau of Economic Geology Friday seminar series on December 11.
Mike Hudec and Oliver Duffy visited Shell’s offices in Houston on January 14 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. The visit was provided as part of Shell’s membership in the AGL consortium.
