september 5

AAPG‐ER Newsletter – September 2010

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September 2010, Vol. 5 http://europe.aapg.org/ http://www.aapg.org/europe/newsletters/index.cfm

EDITORIAL BOARD

Karen Wagner, Chief Editor James Bailey, Coordinator David Contreras, Coordinator Fadi Nader, Coordinator Francisco Porturas, Coordinator AAPG European Region Council David R. Cook, President Vlastimila Dvořakova, President-Elect Chris Elders, Vice-President Bert Clever, Secretary Knut Henrik Jakobsson, Treasurer Jean Gérard, AAPG Advisory Council Istvan Berczi, Past-President

The AAPG European Region Newsletter is published quarterly by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists - European Region, 1st Floor, 56 Brewer Street, London W1F 9TJ, Phone:+44 (0) 2074341399. The months of issue are March, June, September and December. Instructions to authors Editorial correspondence and material submitted for publication should be addressed to the Editor to [email protected]. All materials should be sent by the 15th of the month before issue publication. All submissions are subject to editorial review and revision. Subscriptions Subscription to this publication is included in the membership dues. Advertising pricing and size The Newsletter is printed digitally. Advertising is accepted on a space-available basis. Deadline for submitting material is 15th of the month before issue publication.

Dear Reader,

I hope that you have enjoyed the summer, we certainly seemed to have some extreme weather in certain parts of Europe.

I would first like to thank all those who took part in the

election for the Vice President of the European Region Council and the fourteen House of Delegates positions for Europe. Voter turnout was lower than we had hoped and I encourage more Active members to take part in the next election. The results of the election are reported elsewhere in the Newsletter.

July and August are generally a quiet time in terms of AAPG events, however staff in the London office have been busy organising the programme for the 2010‐11 fiscal year. The last major event in 2010 is the European Regional Conference and AGM which will take place between 17th and 19th October in Kiev. The title of the conference is “Exploration in the Black Sea and Caspian Regions” and I am sure that it will prove to be a most stimulating event. There will be in excess of 220 presentations in 23 oral sessions and a number of poster sessions, in addition to short courses, field trips and student events. So hurry and register for what will undoubtedly be a fascinating conference.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the AAPG annual Leadership Conference which was held at a venue just outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. The conference centre comprised a number of lodges surrounding a central facility in a quiet wooded environment with no distractions. It was an ideal location to meet and discuss current issues and future plans. Delegates comprised AAPG officers and staff, the Advisory Committee and representatives from the House of Delegates, Divisions, AAPG committees, young professionals and student chapters. This very diverse group of members met in a number of sessions, the main theme of which was the future of the AAPG. The event also provided an opportunity for networking and becoming more acquainted with AAPG colleagues from all over the world.

Prior to the start of the conference Young Professional and Student Leadership summits were

held to discuss the means of maintaining and expanding the network of student and young professional chapters and thus the grassroots membership of the organisation.

The Advisory Committee met to discuss the Strategic Plan which was last reviewed and revised in 2006. The objective was to ascertain whether the assumptions about the future and the core purpose and values of the Association were relevant considering the current business outlook. The overarching goal of the AAPG is “to be indispensible to all professionals in the energy‐related geosciences”. Within this there are six Goal Areas: Advance the Science, Continuous Professional Development, Public Awareness and Understanding, Membership and Member Services, Financial Strength and Global Presence. Strategic objectives within each of these Goal Areas will be reviewed at a future meeting of the Advisory Committee.

During the meeting every attendee was given the opportunity of joining at least two focus groups to discuss the future of a particular aspect of AAPG business. The objective of these sessions was to develop a vision for the next twenty or so years and to discuss goals and strategies over this period. The focus groups covered: the Future of Publications, Outreach Planning, Student Activities, the AAPG in 2035, the Future of the Divisions and Young Professional Development.

The AAPG is becoming a truly global organisation and projecting current trends, within the next twenty years the majority of members will be of non‐US origin. Activities within the Regions are becoming more important especially with respect to the provision of membership services and the generation of income. The Annual Convention will move out of North America and annual Regional Conferences will replace the current International Convention and Exhibition. As membership grows the current Regions may have to be subdivided, for instance there is a distinct possibility of China and/or India becoming separate Regions.

The demographics of the Association are such that over the next ten to fifteen years a large proportion of the current membership will retire and it is not clear that they will be replaced by younger members. It is recognised that many young professionals do not recognise the value of being a member of the AAPG. Nowadays much networking and data gathering is done through the internet and we as AAPG members need to stress the importance of face to face networking and technical discussions to our younger colleagues. They need to be aware of the value of AAPG products and services and being a member of a professional organisation. █

David R. Cook AAPG European Region President

TABLE OF CONTENTS

President’s Message 1 R&D Projects 2

South Atlantic Margin Processes and Links 2

Exploration Country Focus 4

Ukraine 4 Student Chapter & IBA 7 Conferences and Seminars 9 AAPG – ER News 14 Calendar 15 AAPG‐ER Structure 18

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE


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R&D PROJECTScoordinated by Fadi Nader

Magdalena Scheck-Wenderoth1 as part of the SAMPLE Working Group2

1Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ, Telegrafenberg,14473 Potsdam, Germany. [email protected] 2 SAMPLE Working Group http://www.sample-spp.de/:

Bunge H.P., Sigloch K., Igel H., München; Greiling R.O., Karlsruhe; Jung S., Hamburg; Koehn, D., Mainz; Markl, G., Tübingen; Götze, H. J. , Kiel; Thomas C., Münster; Stollhofen, H., Erlangen; Will T., Frimmel H., Würzburg;

Glasmacher U. A. , Passchier, Heidelberg; Kukla P., Back S., RWTH Aachen; Franke D., Reichert C., Schnabel M., BGR Hannover; Geissler, W., Jokat, W. , Uenzelmann-Neben G., AWI Bremerhaven;

Behrmann, J., Bialas J., Hauff, F., Hoernle, K., Jegen-Kulcsar M., IFM GeoMar, Kiel; Anka, Z., Autin J., Di Primio, R. , Förster A., Haberland C, Lögering M., Matthes K., Ritter, O. Ryberg T., Sobolev S., Steinberger B., ThomasM. ,

Trumbull R. , Weber M., Yuan, GFZ-Potsdam.

INTRODUCTION Petroleum systems located at passive continental margins received increasing attention in the last decade mainly because of deep and ultra‐deep water hydrocarbon exploration and production. The high risks associated with these settings originate mainly from the poor understanding of inherent geodynamic processes. The new priority program SAMPLE (South Atlantic Margin Processes and Links with onshore Evolution), established by the German Science Foundation in 2009 for a total duration of 6 years, addresses a number of open questions related to continental breakup and post‐breakup evolution of passive continental margins. 27 sub‐projects take advantage of the exceptional conditions of the South Atlantic as a prime “Geo‐archive”. The regional focus is set on the conjugate margins located east of Brazil and Argentina on one side and west of Angola, Namibia and South Africa on the other (Fig. 1) as well as on the Walvis Ridge and the present‐day hotspot of Tristan da Cunha. The economic relevance of the program is demonstrated by support from several petroleum companies, but the main goal is research on fundamental processes behind the evolution of passive continental margins.

HOW DO CONTINENTS BREAK APART? There is still debate on what causes rifting, whether it is an active process controlled by the mantle and in particular by plumes, or a passive response to broader plate reorganisations. Science teams addressing Mantle Dynamics and Magmatic Processes study the thermo‐mechanical behavior of the mantle and related magmatic processes which are key factors affecting the interplay of plate stresses, lithospheric strength and surface response. True time‐dependent models for mantle flow beneath the South Atlantic and Africa (Fig.2) are evaluated using observational constraints from global tomography, potential temperature and composition of primary magmas, as well as dynamic topography evolution and subsidence histories. Explicit incorporation of mineral phase changes, melting topologies and

melt migration/flow laws permit numerical simulation of magmatic processes for different boundary conditions as potential temperature, thickness of lithosphere, and effects on uplift and subsidence through time. These models are backed up by a range of geochemical studies devoted to the assessment

of the compositional diversity of magmas, the controls on melt productivity as well as time‐space variations in magma flux and mantle temperature.

Tristan

Figure 1: Bathymetry of the South Atlantic (Smith and Sandwell 1997) with location of Tristan da Cunha hot spot. White rectangles: areas covered by studies in SAMPLE; white ellipse: area of new geophysical experiments; black arrows, solid lines: Antarctic Bottom Water; black arrows, stippled lines: North Atlantic Deep Water.

Figure 2: Example of a mantle flow model beneath the South Atlantic: red color: rising warm material, blue: colder domains, http://www.geophysik.uni‐muenchen.de/Members/bunge


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R&D PROJECTScoordinated by Fadi Nader

POST‐BREAKUP EVOLUTION How rifts start and propagate in time and along strike is another fundamental question to address. The relative role of melting for weakening the lithosphere thermally and/or mechanically is juxtaposed to plate‐tectonic effects of far‐field stresses, or of pre‐rift fabrics in the localization of the rifting process. The South Atlantic is the place to evaluate if there is a specific sequence of stretching, vertical movements, volcanism and new ocean formation, and how these processes vary along strike. Finally, the post‐breakup evolution, the involved heat flow history, sedimentation pattern and related consequences for resources are of interest. Therefore, studies in SAMPLE also address

(1) the paleo‐ and present‐day configuration of the sedimentary fill, the crust and the lithospheric mantle in terms of geometry as well as of physical properties and, (2) the implications for sedimentation and ocean circulation, for the heat flow and fate of deposited organic matter and for feed‐back with onshore evolution and climate.

The two conjugate margins are characterized by a pronounced asymmetry. Apart from the overall plate‐tectonic setting this may be related to a strong structural inheritance of the pre‐breakup lithosphere, but also to the relative position of different margin segments with respect to a mantle plume. To test which of these causes is the dominant controlling factor for the evolution of the individual segments, the structural‐kinematic history of crustal‐scale lineaments along the South Atlantic continental margins are studied based on detailed field‐work on reactivation of basement faults as well as a fault slip analysis to determine local paleo‐stress states pre‐, syn‐ and post‐breakup. Hypotheses tested include different development following the extrusion of the Parána LIP’s (Large Igneous Province) in Brazil and the Etendeka LIP’s in Namibia, in response to hot‐spot activities, influences by the Andean orogeny and segmentation by large onshore fracture zones. Moreover, dynamic topography evolution by thermochronology and thermokinematic 3D modelling will help to asses timing and rates of vertical movements and related variations in heat flow, sedimentation and deposited organic matter. Quantifying the amount of crustal and lithospheric thinning, knowing the thickness evolution of sedimentary sequences through time and the distribution of magmatic products is required to properly assess rates of deformation. In these studies well data, seismic and seismological data available from industry and academic experiments as well as the observed gravity and thermal fields are integrated and complemented by newly acquired geophysical and geological data. Starting in the north, a comparative analysis is carried out for the Late Cretaceous to recent post‐breakup evolution of the Pelotas and Santos basins offshore southern Brazil and offshore Namibia and southern Angola. Studies that cover the southern portion of the conjugate system focus on the Argentine and the Namibian‐South African segments to assess the present‐day state of the crust and lithosphere as well as the mechanisms and thermal consequences of subsidence and uplift. The deep structure of the crust, the presence of seaward dipping reflector sequences and of high bodies

as potential relicts of magmatic underplating are studied based on existing seismic data to quantify the amount of emplaced volcanic/magmatic material as a function of the distance from the plume head. These results are integrated with potential field and heat flow data into 3D lithosphere‐scale models imaging the structural, density and temperature configuration (Fig. 3) at present as the base for reconstructions of paleo‐scenarios. The post‐rift tectono‐stratigraphic evolution and heat flow history are studied to: (1) unravel the control factors on hydrocarbon generation, migration and leakage, and (2) assess the possible feedback between these processes and global climate

through geologic time. This involves seismo‐stratigraphic interpretation and mapping of gas escape/ sequestration features (mud volcanoes, carbonate munds, seafloor pockmarks, gas chimneys, BSRs), complemented by high‐resolution 3D petroleum system modelling and by field campaigns to the onshore equivalents of the offshore sequences.

The data‐based studies are complemented by analogue as well as by thermo‐mechanical modelling at both lithospheric and global scales. This will link the lithosphere with the deeper mantle to investigate the possible role of subduction zones around Gondwana as well as of global mantle convection, including the arrival of plumes generating tensile stresses in the continental lithosphere. The potential plume structures of the Tristan da Cunha hot spot are also addressed by new geophysical experiments where the Lithosphere of the Namibian Continental passive margin intersects with the Walvis Ridge.

Apart from deep mantle processes, regional stress fields and structural inheritance, depositional processes at passive margins may additionally be influenced by regional ocean circulation pattern. To properly interpret the lithospheric signal in the sedimentary record, it is important to separate it from the oceanic signal. As the geometry of the Atlantic has experienced dramatic changes pre‐, syn and post‐breakup, different paleo‐oceanographic signals are stored in the depositional record resulting from different causes. To reconstruct and quantify depositional imprints related to (paleo‐) oceanic currents, sediment drifts are studied and atmosphere‐ocean circulation patterns are modelled for specific geological time slices by 3D simulations. The investigation of Eocene to Holocene sediment drifts focus on the Argentine Basin ‐ an important path within the global conveyor belt‐ as it built up a long term but high resolution record of the oceanographic‐climatic conditions. Their modifications may relate to plate tectonic events such as the opening of the Drake Passage or the extensive emplacement of volcanic flows at the Rio Grande Rise/Walvis Ridge. Therefore analysis of the drift development will address the evolution of the water masses, the interaction of the currents with sediment input and thus provide independent constraints for tectonic reconstructions and climate/ocean current simulations. The latter are based on 3D self‐consistent global coupled atmosphere‐ocean models for selected geological time slices and key tectonic events such as the opening of the South Atlantic or the Drake Passage. █

REFERENCES Smith, W.H.F. & Sandwell, D.T. 1997. Global seafloor topography from

satellite altimetry and ship depth soundings. Science, 277, 1957–1962. Bauer, K., Neben, S., Schreckenberger, B., Emmermann, R., Hinz, K.,

Fechner, N., Gohl, K.,Schulze, A., Trumbull, R.B., Weber, K., 2000. Deep structure of the Namibia continental margin as derived from integrated geophysical studies. Journal of Geophysical Research, B, Solid Earth and Planets 105 (11), 25,829–25,853.

Hirsch K. K., Scheck‐Wenderoth M., Fishwick S., Maystrenko Y., Sippel J. (2009) A lithospheric and temperature study from the South Atlantic. Inkaba yeAfrica workshop at South African Geophysical Association, Biennial Technical Meeting & Exhibition, 13‐18 September 2009 in Swaziland.

Springbok

Mamba 95301 95302

95303

Surface Moho

Figure 3: Present‐day heat flow at Moho (left) and at surface (centre) predicted from a lithosphere‐scale 3D model of the Orange Basin, South Africa (Hirsch et al. 2009). Location of modelled area (right), black lines: deep seismic refraction profiles (Bauer et al., 2000).


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EXPLORATION COUNTRY FOCUScoordinated by Karen Wagner

Ukraine Gabor Tari

OMV, Vienna, Austria

INTRODUCTION

The following brief country overview of Ukraine highlights some exploration aspects in this country in the context of the upcoming AAPG Europe Annual Meeting in Kiev, October 17‐19, 2010. Ukraine has a long‐standing history in oil exploration as some of the early oil discoveries along the Carpathians occurred in the 19th century. The very diverse and spectacular geology of Ukraine translates to distinct petroleum provinces across the country (Fig. 1). The most important regions, such as the Carpathian folded belt and its foreland, the Dnieper‐Donetsk Basin, the Black Sea shelf and deepwater regions will be shortly described below in the context of the traditional, emerging and untested play types.

CARPATHIANS

The Ukrainian segment of the Carpathian folded belt and its foreland basin is located in the westernmost part of the country, next to Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania (Fig. 1).

The regional transect (Fig. 2) taken from Oszczypko et al. (2005) illustrates well the structural complexity of this petroleum province. Most of the production comes from the folded belt itself with the structural traps in various nappe and imbricate units. Note that most of the fields were found based on surface geology, prior to acquisition of any seismic reflection data.

Figure 1. Simplified subdivision of the major of Ukrainian geologic provinces. Approximate locations of Figures 2‐6 are shown by black lines.

Figure 2. Typical cross‐section across Ukrainian Carpathians, adapted from Oszczypko et al. (2005). For approximate location see Fig.1.


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Some of the fields are situated in the authochtohonous platform sequence of the foreland. In this particular particular petroleum basin the main challenge is to find more traps associated with the well‐established play types using modern structural geology (e.g. cross‐section balancing) and acquiring better seismic to image the deeper parts of the folded belts. Besides modern long‐offset seismic reflection data, sub‐regional to regional scale potential field data could help to position deep to ultradeep wells testing the platform sequences underneath the Carpathians. DNIEPER‐DONETSK BASIN

The Dnieper‐Donetsk basin, to date the most important hydrocarbon province of the Ukraine, is an elongated Late Devonian rift basin located in the northeastern part of the country (Fig. 1). The basin is large measuring around 500 by 100 km, and very deep, with a total sedimentary column locally thicker than 15 km. The Precambrian basement of the Ukrainian shield borders the basin to the southwest whereas to the northeast it is the Voronezh regional basement high covered by a thin veneer of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. The Dnieper‐Donetsk basin shows a gradual transition to the southeast to the Donbas folded belt which is a structurally inverted and much more deformed continuation of the same rift (aulacogen) system.

Most of the hydrocarbon accumulations were found within the Carboniferous to Early Permian post‐rift series (Fig. 3). Source rock intervals occur in the Devonian syn‐rift and Carboniferous post‐rift series. These units reached the maturation window by the end of the Paleozoic (Ulmishek, 2001) and the subsequent inversional episodes are thought to be responsible for the re‐migration of hydrocarbons resulting in fairly complex charge/trap timing scenarios.

Most of the traps are the related to salt tectonics (Fig. 3), however, the full spectrum of salt‐related play types remains to be further explored, mostly due to the quality of the typically available vintage seismic reflection data. Therefore, better imaging and understanding of the deep structure by acquiring modern 2D/3D seismic data could result in a revival of this classical Ukrainian petroleum province.

BLACK SEA, SHELF AND DEEPWATER

The Ukrainian part of the Black Sea shelf has two major parts, the Gulf of Odessa and the Sea of Azov (Fig. 1). In between, the shelf is quite narrow on the southern margin of Crimea and the Kerch peninsula (Fig 4). In the Gulf of Odessa about 90 wells were drilled during the last four decades (Khriachtchevskaia et al., 2009). Note that this is quite a small

number considering area (Fig. 1). Eight gas/gas‐condensate fields were discovered within the Odessa shelf during to date totalling to about 2 TCF of gas. So far, exploration activity targeted mostly inverted structural traps that were formed due to compressional tectonic events during the Late Eocene and Middle Miocene (Fig. 5). The main productive horizons are located in Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene and Lower Miocene sequences. Oligocene to Lower Miocene Maykop shales and Aptian‐Albian mudstones are thought to be the effective source rocks in the area. However, deeper stratigraphic levels might have also contributed to the gas charge documented so far. The next steps for exploration on the Odessa shelf are fairly straightforward as there are some sixty undrilled structures known in the area (Khriachtchevskaia et al., 2009). Therefore the existing play types are far from being exhausted. Until justs recently, there were no 3D seismic surveys acquired in the entire area, therefore stratigraphic traps within the Paleocene‐Eocene units could not be addressed properly. Similarly, deeper structural levels within the Mesozoic remain completely unexplored, despite the significant resource potential.

Figure 3. Cross section of the Dnieper‐Donetsk basin, adapted from Ulmishek (2001). For location see Fig. 1. D3fr and D3fm are Frasnian and Famennian stages, respectively, of the Upper Devonian, C1, C2 and C3 are Lower, Middle and Upper Carboniferous, respectively; P1, Lower Permian; Tr, Triassic; J, Jurassic, K, Cretaceous. Approximate length of the section is 160 km.

Figure 4. Bathymetry of the Black Sea. Image taken from the public web‐site of GeoLogic Data systems: http://www.geologicdata.com/products.html


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The offshore folded belt (informally called Sudak folded belt) is situated just south of the Crimea and the Kerch peninsula and it extends into the deepwater bounding the Sorokin foredeep basin from the north (Fig. 6). A few prominent syn‐rift structures (e.g. Tetyaev High) in the broader Ukrainian deepwater area provide multiple untested play types (Fig. 6) with very significant exploration potential.

UNCONVENTIONAL RESOURCES, BASIN‐CENTERED GAS AND SHALE GAS POTENTIAL

Besides the conventional exploration play types highlighted above, Ukraine appears to have significant unconventional resource potential as well. In particular, the Dnieper‐Donetsk basin may have a very large basin‐centered gas accumulation, based on the presence of overpressure and reported gas shows within the Carboniferous (Dyman et al., 2000). As to the shale gas potential in general, Ukraine has, for example, a very similar, if not identical, Silurian‐Lower Devonian black shale succession to that of Poland. The target areas are located near the Polish border in the foreland of the Carpathians and between Moldova and the Black Sea coast (Fig. 1).

CONCLUSIONS

Ukraine has a lot to offer to a determined explorationist. Despite many years of dedicated and solid exploration efforts by our Ukrainian colleagues, there are still areas/basins which remain underexplored. This is primarily due to the lack of proper technology and funding during Soviet times. As the most important example, the entire Ukrainian sector of the deepwater Black Sea is practically unexplored. In the process of trying to become a largely energy independent country by finding and producing significant hydrocarbon resources/reserves, the next decade will be critical for Ukraine. █

For more information, e‐mail: [email protected]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Conversations about Ukrainian geology with Oxana Khriachtchevskaia, Alexander Kitchka, Igor Popadyuk, Sergiy Stovba and Max Vityk are much appreciated.

REFERENCES

Dyman, T. S., V. A. Litinsky and G. F. Ulmishek, 2000. Geology and Natural Gas Potential of Deep Sedimentary Basins in the Former Soviet Union. USGS Open File report, available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/dds/dds‐067/CHC.pdf

Khriachtchevskaia, O., S. Stovba, and I. Popadyuk, 2009. Hydrocarbon Prospects of the Ukrainian Western Black Sea. The Leading Edge, 28: 1024‐1029.

Oszczypko, N., P. Krzywiec, I. Popadyuk, and T. Peryt, 2005, Carpathian Foredeep Basin (Poland and Ukraine): its sedimentary, structural, and geodynamic evolution. In:

J. Golonka and F. Picha (eds.), The Carpathians and Their Foreland: Geology and Hydrocarbon Resources. AAPG Memoir 84, p. 1–58. Stovba, S., O. Khriachtchevskaia, and I. Popadyuk, 2009. Hydrocarbon‐bearing areas in the eastern part of the Ukrainian Black Sea. The Leading Edge, 28: 1042‐1045.

Ulmishek, F. G. 2001. Petroleum Geology and Resources of the Dnieper‐Donets Basin, Ukraine and Russia. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2201‐E, available at http://geology.cr.usgs.gov/pub/bulletins/b2201‐e/

Figure 6. Deepwater play types in the area south of Crimea and the Kerch peninsula, for an approximate location see Fig. 1. Image taken in 2008 from the public web‐site of Vanco Energy Company: http://www.vancoenergy.com/

Figure 5. Seismic expression of typical inverted structures of the Odessa shelf: a) Krymskaya and b) Shtormovaya. For an approximate location see Fig. 1, adapted from Khriachtchevskaia et al. (2009).


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STUDENT CHAPTER & IBAcoordinated by David Contreras

Aberdeen Student Chapter Skye Fieldtrip 2010 Aspects of the Petroleum Geology of the Isle of Skye

Adam McArthur President Aberdeen AAPG Student Chapter

Continuing the Aberdeen student chapter’s strong links with both Lisbon FCUL and Amsterdam Vrije Universities student chapters, the Aberdeen Chapter was proud to host its first ever field trip, to the Isle of Skye from the 23rd to the 28th of May 2010. Taking six students each from Amsterdam and Lisbon as well as ten students from Aberdeen University, the trip was led by Prof. Adrian Hartley and Dr. Nick Schofield of Aberdeen University. The aim of the trip was to explore the aspects of petroleum geology on Skye, with a focus on sedimentology, maturation and complex reservoirs. The trip began with an icebreaker event in Aberdeen, where all the participants were met by the Rubislaw Pipe Band, led by Dr. Stuart Archer, director of the ExploHub at Aberdeen University and Lewis Macdonald the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeen.

The main purpose of the trip was to develop the students understanding of the petroleum system present in the Mesozoic shallow marine and paralic sediments deposited across actively subsiding tilted fault blocks and also to investigate the implications of the emplacement of Palaeogene volcanic systems. The region provides one of the best exposed analogues for Middle Jurassic sedimentation in the North Sea and strata imaged and drilled along the northwest Atlantic margin, with the volcanic suite providing a particularly good analogue for the Faroe‐Shetland Basin. With understanding of the complex interactions between sediments and volcanic systems often lacking in industry, examination of seismic scale outcrops of this kind can help to unlock challenging new hydrocarbon provinces.

By all accounts the excursion was very successful, with great weather every day. Fantastic sedimentology was on offer, such as the large scale spectacular exposures of cross‐stratified sandstone in the Berreraig Formation at Elgol exhibiting migrating sandwaves up to 2.5m high in 3D. Sediment igneous interactions were exposed in stunning detail at Culnaknock, where “broken bridges”, were examined; these are sills which had been emplaced disrupting the local stratigraphy and potentially compartmentalising reservoirs.

All participants on the trip were highly enthusiastic students and from our base in Portree there were no logistical problems. The diverse mix of students all came to Scotland with a thirst to learn but also to drink whisky, so the trip was completed with a trip to the distillery on Skye. The networking opportunity to meet students from across Europe was embraced by all participants, with ample opportunity for socialising each evening and a group meal was enjoyed by all on the last night.

This trip was generously sponsored by Aberdeen Drilling Management, Chevron UK, Dana Petroleum, Dove Energy, Earthworks‐jobs.com, GeoMEM, Goodland Ventures, Ithaca Energy, EnQuest PLC and Oil and Gas People.com. We would also like to thank AAPG Europe and the Department of Geology at Aberdeen University for funding towards this trip and of course Adrian Hartley and Nick Schofield and all the delegates for making this a fabulous excursion. We hope that this joint venture between Amsterdam, Lisbon and Aberdeen will continue with more field trips next year. █

Figure 1. The group debate the effects of intrusions on source rock maturity at Culnaknock.

Figure 2. Trip organisers Ben Kilhams and Adam McArthur inspect the cross stratification of the Berreraig Sandstone at Elgol.


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STUDENT CHAPTER & IBAcoordinated by David Contreras

Aberdeen Young Professionals Chapter Set to Launch Ben Kilham

The scale of the petroleum industry in Aberdeen means that it is sometimes a daunting place for new recruits and young professionals. In the larger companies there are often large intakes that can form a network but those in smaller businesses don’t always have these opportunities and there seems to be little opportunity for cross‐company socialising. The AAPG is in a perfect position to provide some of these services in Aberdeen with a monthly exploration lunch already taking place and a successful student chapter at the university.

During the same venue held in May this year, it was decided, therefore, with the support of the European Students and Young Professionals committee, to set up a new YP chapter. The enthusiasm of those involved in the temporary committee is encouraging and the chapter has already received over £1000 in sponsorship from ‘Shell UI Europe’, ‘Dana Petroleum’ and the AAPG European Region council.

With this funding in place, the chapter is now set to launch with a social event at the city’s Braided Fig bar on the 16th of September and a follow up ‘Go Karting’ evening (joint with the Aberdeen Student Chapter) planned. The short term aims are to get our message out to as many people as possible so a full time committee can be appointed and further events can be organised. Longer term, it is hoped that the Young Professionals chapter can become an integral part of the Aberdeen AAPG community with regular events tailored to the needs of those with less experience. █

If you want to know more about the SC Aberdeen: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/geology/pg/aapg/aapg.php

AAPG Young Professionals – London Chapter

Matt Jameson This year has been a big year for the AAPG Young Professionals with the launch of the Aberdeen Young Professionals Chapter (16thSeptember 2010 at the Braided Fig, Summer Street, Aberdeen) and the forthcoming AAPG University Lecture Series across a range of institutions in the UK

Jumping on this rolling bandwagon is the launch of the AAPG Young Professional London Chapter. Over the coming year, events will be developed in coordination with other chapters and societies, such as the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain (PESGB) to help unite Young Professionals in the Central and Greater London area.

The AAPG Young Professional Chapters will serve as the next step from the AAPG Student Chapters, helping young professionals network and meet new people in the Oil and Gas Sector as well has helping individuals with their professional development.

With a range of societies out there, the future is through collaboration rather than competition and the AAPG YP chapters are keen to work together with other professional societies to help Young Professionals in the industry.

The launch of the AAPG YP chapters also presents opportunity for Young Professionals to get involved and build the chapter from the ground up. Interested individuals should contact: [email protected], briefly outlining your experience and background.

Later in the year, the AAPG YP’s will also be delivering a series of Graduate Career lectures across the UK with the aim of delivering a clear and honest talk about the role of the modern Earth Science graduate in the Oil Industry and the wealth of opportunities available, from Service sectors to Exploration and Production. We are also looking for Graduates in the industry to volunteer to help us with these talks, so if you are interested in that then please contact the AAPG YPs at [email protected]. █

It’s an exciting year ahead so stay tuned for more information!

Figure. The YPC kickoff was the SC meeting in May 2010 with students from Amsterdam, Lisbon and Aberdeen

Now accepting IBA 2011 applications The AAPG Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) is an annual basin/prospect evaluation competition for geoscience graduate students. The European Region is now accepting applications to participate for 2011.

The programme is rigorous and contributes to AAPG’s mission of promoting petroleum geoscience training and providing geoscience students with experience of the industry. University teams analyze a dataset in the 8 weeks prior to their local competition and deliver their results in a 25 minute presentation to a panel of industry experts at the European Region IBA competition in Prague on 18‐19 March 2011. The winning team from the region will travel to take part in the international finals in Houston on 8‐9 April 2011.

Students have the chance to use real technology on a real dataset, receive the feedback from an industry panel, attempt to impress potential employers in the audience, and the chance to win cash prizes for their schools.

To review the full rules and regs, visit the IBA website: www.aapg.org/IBA.

To register an interest in participating, please email Dave Cook ([email protected]) or Antonia Mitchell ([email protected]) by the deadline of 29 November. We recommend you submit your application as soon as possible, as qualified teams will be approved on a first‐come basis.

To sponsor the awards, email John Brooks ([email protected]) or Jeremy Richardson ([email protected]). █


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CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

AAPG-EUROPE EVENTS

June saw the first ever Aberdeen Education Week. This 5 day event featured 4 short courses, including geology for non‐geologists (a very useful course for support, finance and head office staff), reservoir engineering for petroleum geologists, and the sell‐out‐success Seismic Amplitude Interpretation. Education week will be an annual event, so keep an eye on the AAPG‐Europe website for details of 2011 (scheduled for 9‐13 May). While you’re marking your diaries for Aberdeen Education Week, don’t forget about our monthly Aberdeen Oil Finders Lunch. The next one is scheduled for 7 October, and will feature as “undistinguished lecturer” Phil Ware of Faroe Petroleum. Email January in the London office on [email protected] to book your place.

Moving away from Scotland, October will also feature a major event in Kiev. The 2010 AAPG European Region Annual Conference and Exhibition will see almost 500 attendees descend on the Ukraine from 17‐19 October. This outstanding opportunity for presenting and sharing knowledge of sedimentary basins and petroleum systems will also provide first‐class networking and discussion opportunities. The jam‐packed event features over 200 oral and poster presentations across multiple streams, a gala dinner, receptions, and a whole series of engaging pre‐conference field trips. Get all the details and book your place on www.aapg.org/kiev.

The team in the London office is also busy gearing up for APPEX 2011, the property and prospect expo (1‐3 March, BDC, London). The full speaker programme is expected to be announced come November, and after the record‐breaking attendance in 2010, sponsorships and exhibition spaces are going to go fast. Get more details and book your company’s participation now for the best booth locations; contact the London office or visit www.appexlondon.com.

AAPG‐Europe is also supporting the Petroleum Geoscience Research Collaboration Showcase, part of PETEX (23‐25 November, Earl’s Court, London). The conference is included in the registration for PETEX, and should be well worth a look. http://www.petex.info

Finally, one for the students: the deadline for submissions of interest for the 2011 Imperial Barrel Awards (IBAs) is fast approaching. If your University would like to enter the awards, remember to submit your application by 1 December. You can get more details on the AAPG‐Europe website: http://europe.aapg.org.

I look forward to welcoming you to one of these events,

Antonia Mitchell, Events Marketing Manager, London office

AAPG‐Europe [email protected]

The AAPG SC Kiev Recommendation for the Kiev Conference in October Ievgen Ustenko, Andrei Panaiotu

In October the AAPG will have another major event in Europe – the European Region Annual Conference and Exhibition, which will be focused on exploration in the Caspian and Black Sea regions.

In addition to a fascinating technical program, we have prepared a number of events to facilitate the professional development of students – professional presentations, student poster presentations, a student reception, to name a few.

One of the "must attend events" is the Integrated Basin Analysis Course, taught by Bob Stewart and Sue Nicholson, from ExxonMobil.

The course will focus on an applied problem in basin exploration with which students will explore concepts, methods, and tools of petroleum geosciences that are used on a day‐to‐day basis. The course will combine lecture materials and hands‐on exercises, with an emphasis on the exercises. Special attention will be put on how explorationists make decisions with limited information, identify critical information in light of multiple scenarios, evaluate risk vs. uncertainty and maximize the value

from integrated teams. Attendees will generate: play element maps, play summary charts, cross‐sections, play summary maps. All these tools will enable them to evaluate the associated risk of a prospective acreage. Throughout the course we will stress the importance of integration across disciplines and scales, focusing on the interaction and expression of fundamental basin formation, infill, and evolution processes from regional to basin and play to prospect scale. These discussions will include consideration of plate motion, paleogeography, stratigraphy, structural deformation, sedimentology, rock properties, subsurface imaging, burial history, and fluid migration.

To register for the course students first must be registered to attend the AAPG European Region Annual Conference and Exhibition. Once registered, you may book “Integrated Basin Analysis” by emailing Antonia Mitchell amitchell@aapg with your name and university.

Looking forward to meeting you in Kiev! For more information, www.aapg.org/kiev


10


The AAPG has recently endorsed and provided seed funding to a new training initiative

exploHUB is a new training centre currently being set up at the University of Aberdeen. exploHUB's mission is to provide an accelerated exploration geoscience training program, in a simulated industrial environment that will prepare the next generation of explorers to meet the challenge of discovering the Earth's remaining hydrocarbon resources.

There is a two pronged rationale behind the development of exploHUB:

1. To re‐invigorate regional‐scale play fairway analysis : We believe that the importance placed on regional geology and play fairway analysis has reduced over the years by an over‐emphasis on postage stamp scale reservoir characterisation and prospect evaluation. Gradual reduction in the scale of investigation used to educate and train, in conjunction with the tendency to over‐emphasise the importance of reservoir model building, has hailed the ‘Nintendo geology era’. exploHUB recognises the importance of looking at rock and building conceptual geological and play‐fairway models. We have incorporated both UK based and international based exploration field courses as part of the exploHUB curriculum. We will encourage young explorationists to think outside of the box (where box can mean workstation!), and to use technology appropriately.

2. To help rebuild the exploration capability of the industry. We are all aware of the imminent loss of geoscience experience that faces the E & P industry in the next 5‐10 years. This is an issue with which academia can assist industry to help manage the transition and the transferral of skills. exploHUB will help facilitate the ‘big crew change’ through the training of early and mid career geoscientists in the fundamentals of exploration practice and methods. The Granite City has the second largest geoscience community in the world after Houston and this makes Aberdeen the best place in Europe to try to capture and harness exploration experience. exploHUB aims to tap into the experience resource of enthusiastic mentors, for example as they move into retirement.

There are many other benefits and unique attributes we envisage for exploHUB.

exploHUB is ‘training by doing’ rather than ‘chalk and talk’ or ‘death by PowerPoint’. exploHUB will operate and feel like a dedicated exploration team in an energy company rather than an academic initiative. In this dedicated, immersive, intensive training environment we believe that exploHUB can distil 2 or 3 years of operator exploration experience into 9 months.

exploHUB’s immersive on‐the‐job philosophy of ‘training by doing’ will also allow the trainees to generate a play and prospect portfolio. The prospects generated as a by‐product of the training will be fed back to the governments of the countries whose exploration acreage has been assessed during the training. (DECC in the UK and NPD in Norway for example). This transferral of prospects back to DECC and the NPD will hopefully stimulate exploration activity in the North Sea. Initially our training database will be the North Sea but we envisage exploHUB exploring further afield and in other tectonic settings once the programme is established.

exploHUB will become a ‘gathering place’ for explorers in general. Whether exploring the poles, rainforests, deserts, high peaks or deep oceans we think that successful exploration shares common mindsets and characteristics that we intend to tap into and distil. We aspire to become exploration thought leaders to ensure that the next generation of hydrocarbon explorers are geologically inquisitive, will continually strive for exploration success and seek out game changing new play concepts while leaving no stone unturned.

exploHUB trainees will have a wide range of nationalities, ages and cultural backgrounds. exploHUB trainees will often have had some experience of the industry, but this is not absolutely necessary. Some trainees may come straight from undergraduate and postgraduate programs. A range of experience levels and geological skills sets will be welcomed and this diversity will be valued in the same way that a blend of expertise and contribution style is recognised as central to the success of industrial teams.

The University of Aberdeen is committed to the concept of ‘continuous learning’ after graduation. For those trainees that successfully complete this continuing professional development (CPD) course, the University will award a professional qualification (Post Graduate Diploma in Hydrocarbon Exploration).

The first intake of trainees will start on the 31st January 2011 and will undertake a 9 month course. The course fee is £30,000. There is still time to register trainees for our intake in 2011.

Lastly, exploHUB would love to hear from potential mentors and advisors, willing to pass on their exploration experience to the next generation. █

For further information please contact Dr Stuart Archer, Director of exploHUB on 00 44 (0)1224 273 449 or at [email protected].

Visit our website at: www.abdn.ac.uk/explohub


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AAPG-ER NEWS

AAPG European Region 2010 Elections

I am pleased to announce that Chris Elders of Royal Holloway College of the University of London has been elected as Vice President of the European Regional Council. Chris’s experience running MSc courses at Royal Holloway College and Tyumen University will be invaluable to the Council, especially as we focus on expanding our membership and services eastward. I am also pleased to announce that the following have been elected to the House

of Delegates to represent the Region: John Brooks, UK Isabelle le Nir, France Peter Burri, Switzerland Nikolai Lopatin, Russia Jonathan Craig, Italy Hugo Matias, Spain Sergey Drachev, Russia Francois Roure, France Vlastimila Dvorakova, Czech Republic Morten Rye‐Larsen, Norway Martin Fleckenstein, Germany Steinar Sorensen, Norway Sigrunn Johnsen, Germany Gabor Tari, Austria I would like to thank all those who agreed to be nominated and if you were unsuccessful this year please consider nomination next year. The terms of the other four delegates (Michael Hauck, Martin Jentsch, Gavin Ward and David Cook) all expire next year. █

David R. Cook

Antonia Mitchell joins AAPG European Office

In June this year Antonia joined the AAPG Europe Team as an Event Marketing Manager. She joins us with 9 years experience of marketing and conference organising within the education, news and financial sectors. The London office continues to expand its conference and educational programmes and

Antonia will make a valuable contribution to the growth. We need to ensure that the organisation, marketing and quality of the events continue to improve offering our AAPG members and attendees great value for money and an enjoyable conference experience. Antonia brings some great organisation skills that will help the London office organise the logistics and operations of each event. Her web marketing experience will ensure we can update and get full details of our events out to our AAPG members as they happen. Antonia was educated in Canada gaining a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Zoology and Psychology at the University of Toronto. █

Antonia Mitchell

Events Marketing Manager

Chris Elders

Vice‐President European Regional Council

HOW TO RECEIVE THE AAPG-ER NEWSLETTER

AAPG members are automatically associated with the Region that corresponds with their mailing address. For example, Rio de Janeiro mailing address will be assigned for purposes of AAPG mailings, etc. with the Latin American Region. To change this designation, a member need only contact AAPG Headquarters by email and request their the Region assignment on their membership record be changed.

Requests for this change are directed to Linda Burris at [email protected]. █

AAPG‐ER Newsletter – September 2010 15

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Aberdeen Oil Finders Lunch

(Aberdeen, UK)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30


(Aberdeen, UK)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Course Luncheons

Advances in Carbonates Expl. & Reservoir Analysis

(LONDON, UK) Petroleum Geoscience Research Collaboration

Showcase (LONDON, UK)


(Aberdeen, UK)

Conferences

ILP Workshop (TIRANA, ALBANIA)

Tectonic Crosssraods: Evolving Orogens of Eurasia‐Africa‐Arabia (ANKARA, TURKEY)

December

II Central & North Atlantic Conjugate Margins

Conference (LISBON, PORTUGAL)

7th International Symposium on Eastern Mediterranean Geology

(ADANA, TURKEY)

AAPG European Region Annual Conference

(KIEV, UKRAINE)

November

October

2010

II Central & North Atlantic Conjugate Margins

Conference (PORTUGAL)

18th International Sedimentological Congress (MENDOZA, ARGENTINA)

SeptemberAberdeen Oil

Finders Lunch

(Aberdeen, UK)

AAPG‐ER Newsletter – September 2010 16

AAPG – ER STRUCTURE

AREA COUNCIL President: David R. Cook [email protected] Phone: +44 (0) 1428 645060 Mobile: +44 (0) 7515 506439

President‐Elect: Vlastimila Dvorakova Czech Geological Survey [email protected] Phone : +42‐0543429253 fax : +42‐0543212370

Vice‐President: Chris Elders Royal Holloway College of the University of London [email protected]

Secretary: Bert Clever Nuon Energy BV [email protected] Phone: +31 6 11514818 Treasurer: Knut Henrik Jakobsson The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate [email protected] Phone: +47 94521894 European Representative in the AAPG Advisory Council: Jean Gérard REPSOL [email protected] Phone: +44.7825.187555

Past‐President: Istvan Berczi MOL Hungarian Oil & Gas plc [email protected] Phone: +36.1.4644653 Fax: +36.1.8877579 OFFICE (LONDON)

Director: Jeremy Richardson 1st Floor 56 Brewer Street London W1F 9TJ Phone:+44(0)2074341399 (voice) +44(0)2074341386 (fax) http://europe.aapg.org/ [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL DISTINGUISHED LECTURER Manager: Herman Darman Shell International Exploration and Production B.V. [email protected] Mobile: +31(0) 61097 2827 Office: +31(0) 70447 5340 Postal: SIEP B.V, Kessler Park 1, S‐2100, 2288 GS Rijswijk, The Netherlands http://www.aapg.org/europe/

STUDENTS & YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Nick Lagrilliere CORPORATE LIASON & SPONSORSHIP John Brooks NEWSLETTER & PUBLICATIONS Karen Wagner E‐mail: [email protected] IBA COMMITTEE Charlotte Hamilton

AFFILIATED SOCIETIES Asociación de Geólogos y Geofísicos Españoles del Petróleo (AGGEP) ‐ SPAIN Webpage: www.aggep.com President: Aurelio J. Jiménez Fernández

Association of Petroleum Technicians and Professionals (AFTP) ‐ FRANCE Webpage: www.aftp.net President: Isabelle Le Nir

Austrian Geological Society Webpage: www.geol‐ges.at President: Christoph Spötl

Azerbeijan Association of Petroleum Geologists

Berufsverb and Deutscher Geologen, Geophysiker und Mineralogen e. V. Webpage: www.geoberuf.de e‐mail: BDGBBonn@t‐online.de

Bulgarian Geological Society Webpage : http://www.bgd.bg/frames_home_EN.html

Czech Geological Society Webpage: www.geolgickaspolecnostl.cz e‐mail: [email protected] President: Dr. Budil

Energy Institute Webpage: www.energyinst.org.uk

Norwegian Association of Petroleum Geologists Webpage: www.scanviz.org e‐mail: fr‐[email protected] President: Francisco Porturas Tel.: +47 51552566 Mobil: +47 45200830

Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain Webpage: www.pesgb.org.uk e‐mail: [email protected] President: Henry Allen Tel.: +44 (0) 1224 213440 Mobil: ++44 (0) 1224 213453 Polish Geological Society

Romanian Association of Petroleum Geologists

Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands Webpage: www.kngmg.nl President: P. A. C de Ruiter

Scientific Council for Petroleum (Croatia)

Swiss Association of Petroleum Geologists and Engineers Webpage: www.vsp‐asp.ch e‐mail: [email protected] President: Peter Burri

Turkish Association of Petroleum Geologists Webpage: www.tpjd.org.tr

Association of Ukrainian Geologists

september 5

Documents