49th Annual Meeting of The Clay Minerals Society

July 7 - July 11, 2012

Workshop on Organic Rich Rocks

Saturday, July 7, 2012

• Organizers
  • Manika Prasad
  • Richard Wendlandt
  • Andre Revil
  • Ning Lu
  • Utpalendu Kuila
  • Douglas McCarty
  • Lyn Canter
  • Edwin Zeelmaekers
• Workshop Conveners
  • Chair: Carlos Torres-Verdin
• Topics
  • Mineralogy and Maturity
  • Pore Systems and Transport Properties
  • Rock Physics and Petrophysics
  • Rock Mechanics
• Cost
  • Professional: before May 11, 2012 - $110, May 12-June 15, 2012 - $135.00
  • Students: before May 11, 2012 - $50, May 12-June 15, 2012 - $75
  • On Site: Professional - $160.00, Student - $100.00

An agenda for the Workshop on Organic Rich Rocks is available as a PDF document.
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Field Trip to Organic Rich Rock Outcrops and Niobrara Quarry

Sunday, July 8, 2012

• Organizer
  • Steve Sonnenberg
• Cost
  • Professional: before May 11, 2012 - $110, May 12-June 15, 2012 - $135.00
  • Students: before May 11, 2012 - $50, May 12-June 15, 2012 - $75
  • On Site: Professional - $160.00, Student - $100.00
• Additional Information

  The Niobrara Formation of the Rocky Mountain Region is currently of great interest for oil and gas exploration.

  The Niobrara Petroleum System of the U.S. Rocky Mountain Region is a major tight petroleum resource play. The Niobrara is self-sourced and reservoirs are low permeability chalks, shales, and sandstones. Source beds have total organic carbon contents that range from 2 to 8 weight percent. Source beds are thermally mature in the deeper parts of many of the Laramide basins in the Rocky Mountain region. Continuous or pervasive accumulations occur in thermally mature areas.

  The Niobrara source rocks are dominantly Type II (sapropelic) oil-prone kerogens. Oil accumulations occur where source beds are in the thermogenic oil window (e.g., Denver Basin). Thermogenic gas accumulations occur where the source beds have entered the gas generating window in deeper parts of basins (e.g., Piceance Basin). Biogenic methane occurs in shallow chalk reservoirs on the east flank of the Western Interior Cretaceous Basin (e.g., eastern Colorado). In addition shallow gas fields are found in northern Montana (e.g., Bowdoin field).

  Natural fractures are important in controlling sweet spots in the clay. Several models have been proposed for fractures in the Niobrara and include folding and faulting (local structures), stress relief with Neogene regional uplift and erosion, regional horizontal stress (regional orthogonal fractures) and hydrocarbon generation pore pressure.

  The Niobrara is a technology reservoir that requires horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing. The Niobrara petroleum system is present over most of the Rocky Mountain Region and is prospective in many areas.

  This field trip will examine the Niobrara in outcrops between Boulder and Lyons, CO. The petroleum system of the Niobrara will be emphasized. Reservoirs, source beds, and fracture models will be discussed.

  The trip will depart at 8 AM from the corner of 16th and Arapahoe (outside the Green Center conference registration area). The trip will return to the starting point by approximately 4 PM.

  Lunches and drinks will be provided by the Clay Minerals Society.

  Additional information will be sent by email to Field Trip registrants shortly before commencement of the Meeting.