2017 News

December 2017

cgg logo

On December 2, Mike Hudec visited CGG in Houston to conduct a workshop on salt tectonics in the southern Gulf of Mexico. 


ecopetrol logo

On December 5-6, Mike Hudec visited Ecopetrol’s Houston office to discuss salt tectonics in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Portions of this visit were provided as part of Ecopetrol’s membership in the AGL consortium.


shell logo

Mike Hudec visited Shell’s Houston office on December 7, to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico.


November 2017

2017 AGL

Nearly 200 delegates registered for the 2017 AGL Annual Meeting, held in Austin on November 9-10. Attendees heard 20 oral presentations and browsed 8 posters during the course of the meeting. Themes included structural and stratigraphic evolution of minibasins in the Sigsbee canopy, geomechanical modeling of salt-sheet sutures and subsalt stratigraphy, salt evolution in the southern Gulf of Mexico, and evolution of synrift salt basins. To see a slideshow of pictures from the meeting, click here.


Tim_corewarehouse

Tim Dooley coauthored a report on the NSF-Funded Second Workshop on "Analog Modeling of Tectonic Processes”, that was held at the Bureau of Economic Geology in May 2017. Almost 50 analog and numerical modelers gathered for this workshop to discuss new techniques, boundary conditions, new materials, and ways to strengthen the analog modeling community. Attendees listened to 10 invited speakers and presented posters and teaching materials over the course of 2.5 days. Tim set up and ran a physical model of an extensional rift system during the workshop. Physical model results were compared to numerical models of crustal extension. 

Reber, J. E., T. P. Dooley, and E. Logan (2017), Analog modeling recreates millions of years in a few hours, Eos, 98, doi: 10.1029/2017EO085753. Published on 09 November 2017.
 


Rio de janeiro

Mike Hudec visited the offices of CGG and Petrobras in Rio de Janeiro during the week of November 12-17. While in Rio, Mike focused on salt structures in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil. 


October 2017

uni manchester

Frank Peel presented a lecture on October 19, 2017 to the AAPG student chapter of the University of Manchester, UK, titled: "The early Gulf of Mexico - Deep, Hot and Salty".


Seattle

Maria Nikolinakou traveled to Seattle, Washington on October 23, 2017 for the ARMA Fall Board meeting.


September 2017

Maria

Maria Nikolinakou was promoted to Research Scientist on September 1, 2017. Congratulations Maria!


Juan Soto

Professor Juan Soto, of Grenada University, Spain, arrived at AGL on September 11, 2017 for a 3-month sabbatical. The trip is funded by a grant from the Spanish government. While at AGL, Juan will be working on shale tectonics in the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean), and on comparisons between salt tectonics and shale tectonics. 


Utah

Mike Hudec led two field trips to the Paradox Basin during the month of September. The first, from September 10-15 was attended by representatives from BHP Billiton, Cairn Energy, Hess, Saudi Aramco, and Shell. The second, from September 17-22 was a single-company trip for BHP Billiton. The weather cooperated, and the geology and scenery were spectacular as always!


Bian Qing

Bian Qing, Ph.D. student from Beijing University, China, arrival at AGL on September 25, 2017 for a one-year stay. His visit is funded by a grant from the China Scholarship Council. While at AGL, Bian will be studying seismic stratigraphy of turbidite systems in supracanopy minibasins, while continuing to work on his Ph.D. research entitled “Strike-slip fault related salt structure in western Qaidam basin.”


Texas A&M

Maria Nikolinakou visited the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M and gave a departmental seminar on Stress, deformation and pressure prediction in evolving salt basins.


August 2017

Ohio State

Maria Nikolinakou visited the School of Earth Sciences at Ohio State University on August 24-25, 2017,and gave a departmental seminar on Stress, deformation and pressure prediction in evolving salt basins.


Royal Holloway

On August 25, Senior Research Fellow Frank Peel served on the examining committee for Ph.D. student Heraclio Gutierrez-Moreno at Royal Holloway University. The dissertation topic is "Structural evolution and petroleum system implications of a shale-detached deep-water fold-and-thrust belt in the Gulf of Mexico".


F. Peel Alps

Click for larger photo

Frank Peel recently spent some time in the field looking at evaporite tectonics in the internal French Alps. In the picture at the left, Frank is standing in front of a gypsum diapir exposed in the Col du Souffre, Vanoise, France. The Triassic salt in the diapir is piercing upward into older Carboniferous strata, as a consequence of being on the overturned limb of an Alpine fold.  


New publication: 

JSG

Click image to access publication

Coleman, A.J., Jackson, C.A-L., and Duffy, O. B., 2017, Balancing sub- and supra-salt strain in salt-influenced rifts: Implications for extension estimates: Journal of Structural Geology, v. 102, p. 208-225, Doi: 10.1016/j.jsg.2017.08.006


SEG logo

Click image to access publication

New publications:

Wu, X., Formel, S., and Hudec, M., 2017, Fast salt-boundary interpretation with optimal path picking: SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts, p. 2060-2065, Doi: 10.1190/segam2017-17782682.1

Zhang, Q., Rodriguez, G., Xun, H., Bate, D., Keay, J., Hudec, M., and Watson, J., 2017, Seaward-dipping reflectors or presalt synrift graben? Insight from an integrated case study of presalt reflectors in Campos Basin, offshore Brazil: SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts, p. 1988-1992, Doi: 10.1190/segam2017-17680033.1


July 2017

Biot conference

Maria Nikolinakou attended the 6th Biot conference in Poromechanics on July 8-14, 2017 and presented her paper: Coupling flow and deformation in evolving salt basins 


TGS logo

Mike Hudec visited TGS's Houston offices on July 12-14 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. 

 


Repsol, Madrid

Maria Nikolinakou spent a week in Repsol Headquarters in Madrid, Spain, July 16-22, 2017. She worked with PhD student Jean Joseph d'Hooghvorst, and discussing UT Geofluids and AGL research projects. 


CGG logo

Mike Hudec visited the Houston office of CGG on July 17-20. Mike taught a short course entitled "Advanced salt tectonics – geologic principles for seismic interpretation in the northern Gulf of Mexico" and conducted research on Gulf of Mexico salt structures. 


June 2017

New publication:

aapg bulletin june 2017

Click image to access publication

Nikolinakou, M.A., Heidari M., Hudec M.R., Flemings P.B. (2017): Initiation and growth of salt diapirs in tectonically stable settings: Upbuilding and megaflaps; AAPG Bulletin, V. 101, No. 6 (June 2017), P. 887-905.; DOI: 10.1306/09021615245


R. Kernan

Rachelle Kernen arrived on June 13 to begin a summer research project with AGL. Rachelle is a Ph.D. student, working with Kate Giles at The University of Texas at El Paso. Rachelle's dissertation research focuses on evolution of intrasalt sediment inclusions in the Flinders Range, Australia. While at AGL, she will be working on distribution and evolution of intrasalt inclusions in parts of the Sigsbee salt canopy in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.


arma logo

 

Maria Nikolinakou gave the Early Career Keynote Address titled "Stress and Pressure in Mudrocks Bounding Salt Systems" on June 26, 2017 at the 51st US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics symposium in San Francisco, California.


 

arma logo

 

Maria Nikolinakou is now the treasurer of American Rock Mechanics Association effective June 25, 2017.


May 2017

imperial college

Click for larger image

Mike Hudec visited Chris Jackson at Imperial College, London from May 8-19. During this visit, Mike worked with several of Chris' graduate students, and Mike and Chris discussed ideas for collaborative research on salt tectonics in the North Sea. 


anadarko

On May 11, 2017, Maria Nikolinakou visited Anadarko in Woodlands, Texas and discussed geomechanical modeling of salt systems.  


woodlands

Maria Nikolinakou discussed pore pressure prediction in salt systems at the Operators Pore Pressure Forum, a workshop in Woodlands, Texas on May 12, 2017. 


fugro

Maria Nikolinakou visited Fugro on behalf of the UT GeoFluids consortium in Houston, Texas on May 12, 2017. 


pemex sm

Maria Nikolinakou visited Pemex in Villahermosa, Mexico on May 18, 2017 on behalf of the UT GeoFluids consortium and discussed geomechanical modeling of salt systems.


Pyrenean mts

Frank Peel and Mike Hudec discuss evolution of folds along the Pyrenean mountain front north of Huesca, Spain

AGL scientists Mike Hudec, Frank Peel, and Gillian Apps spent four days conducting fieldwork along the southern Pryenean frontal thrust system from May 21-24. The trio was investigating the influence that Triassic salt had on development of structures along the mountain front.

 

 

 

 


April 2017

Journal of struct geol

Click image to access publication

New publication:

Fernandez, N., Duffy, O.B., Hudec, M.R., Jackson, M.P.A., Burg, G., Jackson, C.A.-L., Dooley, T., 2017. The Origin of Salt-Encased Sediment Packages: Observations from the SE Precaspian Basin (Kazakhstan). Journal of Structural Geology. Vol. 97, pg. 237, doi: 10.1016/j.jsg.2017.01.008


aapg ace

                                                                                                                                                                                            

AGL scientists Mike Hudec, Tim Dooley, Maria Nikolinakou, Mahdi Heidari, Olly Duffy and Naiara Fernandez all gave presentations at the 2017 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, held in Houston on April 2-5. 

Maria Nikolinakou presented a poster on "Stress, deformation and failure associated with salt-sheet emplacement."

Naiara Fernandez presented the poster "The Origin of Salt-Encased Sediment Packages : Observations from the SE Precaspian Basin (Kazakhstan)".


exxonmobil

Mike Hudec visited ExxonMobil's office in the Woodlands on April 6-7 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. Parts of this visit were provided as part of ExxonMobil's membership in the AGL consortium. 


STATOIL

Mike Hudec visited Statoil's Calgary office on April 10 to discuss salt tectonics in offshore Nova Scotia. The visit was provided as part of Statoil's membership in the AGL consortium.


cgg

On April 11, AGL scientists Mike Hudec and Frank Peel visited CGG's Houston office to conduct research on salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. 


USSP

 

 

Maria Nikolinakou participated in the US Science Support Program-sponsored workshop, "Drilling strategies for assessing links between Quaternary Gulf Stream dynamics, pore pressure evolution, and slope stability on the Western North Atlantic Margin: An International Ocean Discovery Program proposal development study", in Dallas, Texas on April 11-13, 2017.  


bhp

On April 12, AGL scientists Mike Hudec and Frank Peel visited BHP's Houston office to conduct research on salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. 


Martin family

Click for larger image

On April 13, the Bureau of Economic Geology dedicated a tree to memorialize Bureau scientists who passed away in 2016. Several members of the Martin Jackson family were in attendance, and expressed their appreciation to BEG staff and others who gathered to remember Martin.


egu meet 2017

 

 

 

 

 Naiara Fernandez attended the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2017 in Vienna, Austria, April 23-28 April. She gave an invited talk on "Encasement and subsidence of salt minibasins: observations from the SE Precaspian Basin and numerical modeling", which opened the session titled "Understanding salt-related deformation: Seismic, field and physical/numerical modelling case studies". Additionally, she presented two posters in that same session: "The Origin of Salt-Encased Sediment Packages: Observations from the SE Precaspian Basin (Kazakhstan)" by Fernandez et al. and "Lateral mobility of minibasins during shortening: Insights from the SE Precaspian Basin, Kazakhstan" by Duffy et al. 


March 2017

sut sm

Maria Nikolinakou gave the talk "Stress, deformation and pressure prediction near salt", at the Society for Underwater Technology meeting on March 2, 2017 in Houston. The talk was hosted by BP and was well attended by in-room and online audience.

 


total

On March 8, Mike Hudec visited Total's offices in Houston to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. This visit was provided as part of Total's membership in the AGL consortium. 


Hess

Tim Dooley visited Hess' Houston office March 9 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Nova Scotia. The visit was provided as part of Hess' membership in the AGL consortium.


pgs logo

Maria Nikolinakou visited PGS and discussed geomechanical modeling of salt systems on March 9, 2017 in Houston, Texas. 


bhp

On March 9-10, Mike Hudec visited BHP's Houston office to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico. Parts of this visit were provided as part of BHP's membership in the AGL consortium.


February 2017

salt tectonics

Click on cover to purchase book

 

New publication:

Jackson, M. P. A., and Hudec, Michael R., 2017 Salt Tectonics, Principals and Practice, Cambridge University Press

This long-awaited textbook, begun in 2009, is finally published! The authors particularly thank Nancy Cottington for her heroic efforts in drafting all 600 figures in the book, as well as for her work on the index and obtaining figure permissions. 


Interpretation

Click on cover image to access publication.

New publication:

Ferrer, O., Dooley, T. P., Corti, G., Vidal-Royo, O., Hearon, T. E., Reber, J., Graveleau, F., (2017), Introduction to special section: Analog modeling as an aid to structural interpretation. Interpretation, Volume 5, Issue 1, Doi: 10.1190/INT-2016-1219-SPSEINTRO.1


Interpretation

Click on cover image to access publication.

New publication:

Dooley, T. P., Hudec, M. R., Carruthers, D., Jackson, M. P. A., and Luo, G. (2017), The effects of base-salt relief on salt flow and suprasalt deformation patterns - Part 1: Flow across simple steps in the base of salt, Interpretation, Volume 5, Issue 1, Doi: 10.1190/INT-2016-0087.1


interpretation

Click on cover image to access publication.

New publication:

Dooley, T. P., Hudec, M. R., (2017), The effects of base-salt relief on salt flow and suprasalt deformation patterns - Part 2: Application to the eastern Gulf of Mexico, Interpretation, Volume 5, Issue 1, Doi: 10.1190/INT-2016-0088.1


Blazier Elementary

Mike Hudec attended Career Day at Blazier Elementary School in Austin on February 3. Mike demonstrated volcanic eruptions and rock identification to more than 500 students in grades K-5.

 

 


Charleston sm

Click image to view larger image

Maria Nikolinakou visited Charleston, South Carolina for the American Rock Mechanics Association Board meeting held on February 3, 2017.


Frank Peel and Gillian Apps

BEG Research Fellows Frank Peel and Gillian Apps arrived at the BEG on February 16. Gillian will be staying for 6 weeks, and Frank for 10 weeks. They will be working on problems involving salt tectonics and sedimentation.


UT geofluids

 

Maria Nikolinakou presented two salt-related talks at the UT's GeoFluids meeting held in Austin, Texas on February 23-24, 2017. The talks were titled "Pore pressure beneath advancing salt sheets" and "Numerical implementation of mudrock stress-level dependency". She also organized a workshop on pore pressure prediction including an exercise focused on a salt basin.


JSG

Click on cover image to access publication.

New paper:

Duffy, O. B., Nixon, C. W., Bell, R. E., Jackson, C. A-L., Gawthorpe, R. L., Sanderson, D. J, and Whipp, P. S., 2017. The topology of evolving rift fault networks: Single-phase vs multi-phase rifts. Journal of Structural Geology. 96: 192-202. doi: 10.1016/j.jsg.2017.02.001


JSG

Click on cover image to access publication.

New paper:

Duffy, O. B., Fernandez, N., Hudec, M. R., Jackson, M. P. A., Burg, G., Dooley, T. P., and Jackson, C. A-L. 2017. Lateral mobility of minibasins during shortening: Insights from the SE Precaspian Basin, Kazakhstan. Journal of Structural Geology. doi: 10.1016/j.jsg.2017.02.002


January 2017

Repsol

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


BHP Billiton

Mike Hudec visited the Houston office of BHP Billiton on January 31-February 2 to discuss salt tectonics in the Gulf of Mexico.



University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas

© 2021 Bureau of Economic Geology | Web Privacy Policy | Web Accessibility Policy