hgs bulletin volume 4 no. 6 (february 1962)

B U L L E T I N

HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Houston, Texas

Volume 4, No. 6

February, 1962

%oustoa g eoeogicd Society

OFFICERS

President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George C. Hardin, Ir. . . . . . CA 7-5323 . . . . . . . . . 1st Vice President . . Benjamin T. Simmons . . . . . . FA 3-0493

2nd Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. H. Rainwater . . . . . . . . . . . M 0 7-5661 Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lewis I. Hubka, Jr. . . . . . . . . CA 5-551 1 Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cecil R. Rives . . . . . . . . . . . . . CA 3-401 1

EXECUTIVE COMMllTEEMEN

W. R. Cartada

Wm. F. Cooke, Ir. Wm. A. Gorman, Ex-Officio

COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN

STANDING COMMIlTEES

Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas D. Rush . . . . Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Benjamin T . Simmons Technical Program . . . . . . . . . E. H. Rainwater . . . . . Awards and Loans . . . . . . . . Jack W. Craig . . . . . . . Personnel Placement . . . . . . . . . Theodore P. Ellsworth Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reese Berry . . . . . . . . Research and Study . . . . . . . . . DeWitt C. VanSiclen . Boy Scout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clyde Beckwith . . . . . Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . Curtis C. Franks . . .

Carey Croneis Ben Morgan

SPECIAL COMMllTEES

Ballot M. Stephen Kovac CA 3-4645 Convention Preparation W. A. Thomas CA 2-9721 Distribution of Publications Paul H. Allen CA 5-1396 Advertising Jeral I . Crowder CA 2-0226

C. W. Leisk CA 8-9461 Exhibits G.C.A.G.S., A.A.P.G. Otto Pixler JA 4-63 8 1 Engineers Council Howard Schoenike MO 5-7079

Frank R. Hardin CA 7-5323 Library Ralph E. Taylor CA 5-44 1 1 Academic Liason Arthur S. Dickinson CA 3-401 1 Membership James A. Wheeler FA 3-1618 Preservation of Samples and Cores Charles W . Stuckey, Jr. JA 9-4821 Remembrance John L. P. Campbell CA 2-977 1 Transportation Carlton D. Speed, Jr. CA 4-2523 Adviccrq to Museum of Natural

History . . . . . . . . . . Jack 0. Colle . . . . . . . . . . . . . CA 7-6266 George C. Hardin, Ir. . . CA 7-5323

G.C.A.G.S. Representative Arthur S. Dickinson CA 3-4011 Alternate G.C.A.G.S. Representative Raymond E. Fairchild CA 5-0487 A.A.P.G. Membership John L. P. Campbell WA 8-53 11 Directory . Charles F. Ross CA 3-4491 Field Papers Olin G. Bell MO 7-5004

T H E B U L L E T I N

THIS MONTH

VOLUME 4 NUMBER 6

Meeting Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2

President's Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

News of Other Societies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4

Newsof Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5

Past Presidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7

GeoScience Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13

On the Distaff Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20

T H E B U L L E T I N O F T H E HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Office -234 Esperson Bldg. - Houston 2 , Texas - F A 3-9309

Subscription Price $3.00 per year.

Published monthly, September to June by

C A R D I N A L PRINT ING AND L E T T E R SERVICE, INC.

Edi tor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edd R. Turner, J r . , Tidewater Oil Co. . . . . . . . . CA 8-9361

Asst't Editor . . . . . . . . J . D. "Denny" Bartell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CA 8-6668

Managing Editor. . . . . . Clark Edgecomb, Jr . , Schlumberger . . . . . . . . . . . WA 8-2511

Volume 4. No. 6

MEETING NOTICE

SIXTH REGULAR MEETING - FEBRUARY 12, 1962

The sixth regular meeting of the 1961-1962 year will be held on Monday evening, February 12, on the 10th floor of the Houston Club. The social hour will begin at 5: 15, dinner at 6:00, program at 7:00 p. m.

The speaker will be Mr. Walter K . Link, who will lecture on "The Geology of the Amazon Basin of Brazil and Case History of Exploration 1954- 1960. " The lecture also covers the operation of Petrobras Brazilian Oil Monopoly.

Also at this meeting, the Department of Geology of The University of Texas will present i ts Distinguished Alumna Award to Miss Alva C. Ellisor. Mr. L. T. Barrow will make the presentation.

Mr. Link was born and reared in La Porte, Indiana. He received a P. H.B. degree from the University of Wisconsin and also did post-graduate study at that university. Most of his career has been in exploration for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and its affiliates, and he was chief geologist for the parent company from 1947 to 1953. In 1954 he became Manager of Exploration for Petrobras.

Mr. Link has published papers on the origin of oil and on the geology of various basins. He is recognized as one of the world's authorities on petroleum, and he has been written up in several oil and gas journals. He is a Fellow of the GSA, a member of the AAPG and many other scientific and professional societies.

The lecture by Mr. Link will be very informative and should be of special interest to all petroleum geologists.

W A N T E D

Ambitious geologist with talent for writing. Must have paper o r be prepared to compose same dealing with "Basinward Limits of production in Gulf Coast Province. " Excellent opportunity for enhancement of professional stature and advancement of career .

Call CA 5-0487 immediately. Ask for Ray Fairchild, District Editor, 1962 GCAGS Transactions.

P R E S I D E N T ' S PAGE

A number of geologists urge that we strive to have geology accepted as a branch of engineering. In "Unemployment and Our More Basic Problems, A Discussion, " by Thomas W . Fluhr, (GeoTimes, Nov. -Dec., 1959) he says, "There a r e some people who do not regard geology as a profession, and others who recognize it as a second-rate one." Mr. Fluhr urges that geologists unite with each other in professional societies (as contrasted with scientific societies) and accept their ethical and social responsibilities if geology is to be recognized as a profession. In "Are Geologists Engineers?" appearing in the Nov. -Dec., 1961 issue of GeoTimes, John M. Parker 111 says that while geology is not uni- versally recognized as a profession, much public prestige attaches to the name engineering. He thinks geologists a r e engineers, and that they should make an effort to be so recognized.

The articles by Fluhr and Parker present an interesting point of view that is undoubtedly shared by a number of geologists. However, both seem to be over- sold on the public prestige attached to the words "profession" and "engineer." Actually, the word "professional" has been used and defined in so many ways that it now means only that one sells it instead of giving it away. The term "engineer" does carry a certain amount of public prestige, but a geologist is a scientist and certainly, in this age, the term "scientist" carries as much or more prestige. The application of the sciences for the benefit of man is generally termed engineering, but the difference between the scientist and the engineer is becoming less and less discernible. If a broad interpretation of the many definitions of engineering is accepted, all scientists might be called engineers. However, I think most people generally think of an engineer as one who is concerned with processes. For example, the chemist determines the means of synthesizing a certain material, and the chemical engineer develops an in- dustrial process by which the material can be synthesized economically and in large quantities. These two jobs must necessarily overlap to some extent.

In petroleum geology, most of the work having to do with exploitation could be called engineering and is classified as such by many oil companies. Explo- ration, on the other hand, i s essentially a research process, and the work of the competent exploration geologist is generally very similar to that of the research geologist. The analysis of all types of geophysical and geological information to determine the probable location of an oil o r gas field is creative in the same sense that the chemist creates a new material by combining several known materials in a new way.

Because of courtroom and conservation hearing appearances, and other contact with the general public, geologists need a professional organization that would certify a s to the competence of its members. There is some merit in the desire of many geologists for a legal registration law, provided all states would adopt a uniform code. However, as for the title by which we call ourselves, I prefer "Geologist" over "Engineer" or any other. Despite the opinions of Fluhr and Parker, I have never found anyone who considered geology to be a second- rate profession, but I have found a few people who couldn't spell i t !

. . George C. Hardin, J r .

NEWS 4 &'24#&&4

News from Neighboring Societies

The SOUTH TEXAS GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY announces new officers for 1962: President - Duward Dassow (Ind.), Vice President - Robert L. Begeman (Ind.), Secretary - M. 0. Turner (Ind.), Treasurer - D. H. Tucker (Skinner Corp. ) and Executive Committeemen - W. H. Spice, J r . and Roy H. Guess. LAFAYETTE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY held i ts January meeting on the 10th. George Hepburn, Schlumberger, spoke on "Identification of Oil Shows in Louisi- ana Gulf Coast Formation With the Aid of the Sonic Log." BEAUMONT GEO- LOGICAL SOCIETY heard C . C . Olsen, Halliburton, on January 17 speak on "Drill Stem Testing and Chart Interpretation." CORPUS CHRISTI GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY had Alec Chesser of Houston Natural Gas Corp. speak on "Community of Interest" a t i ts January meeting. This Society now has 416 members. ABILENE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY had Mr. George Gray, West Texas Utilities Co., speak on cave exploration in the Edwards Plateau a t i ts January 11th meeting. GEOPHYSICAL SOCIETY OF HOUSTON heard M. E . Trostle, G. S. I . , on January 15th speak on "Some Aspects of Refraction Interpretation." And from way up north, the WYOMING GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY in Casper reports membership a t 480 and expected to go over 500 by February. The G. C. A. G. S. has elected officers for 1962: president, T . H. Philpott (Olin), vice president, J. C. Byrd (Jones & O'Brien), t reasurer , Ken Soule (Pan Am), secretary, H. 0. Wood- bury (Calif. Co. ). The NEW ORLEANS GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY met January 22 and had Dr. John C . Ludlum as speaker. He talked on "Exploration for Natural Gas in the Appalachian Area. "

1963 AAPG CONVENTION

Mr. W. A. Thomas, general chairman, reports the appointment of Dr. C. F. Maginnis as chairman of the Entertainment Committee. All chairmen have been appointed, most committees have been selected, and scheduled meetings have started functioning according to the Master Time Table.

HOUSTON AREA AAPG BUSINESS COMMITTEE

This Committee meets once a month, usually a t The T e r r a Club, where it discusses various aspects of AAPG affairs and processes applications for membership.

The Committee has recently approved ten applications for Active Member- ship in AAPG, and it would like to strongly advise those in this area considering a transfer of membership from Junior o r Associate to Active to do so at an early date. The time i s running out.

The new AAPG Membership Certificate is very attractive and should be on prominent display in all members' offices. Members may order their certifi- cates from the AAPG in Tulsa at $2.00 per copy, postpaid.

. . .John L. P . Campbell, Chairman

NEWS akd JIM QUIGLEY has opened his office a s a consulting geologist on the 6th

floor of the Texas National Bank. His new phone number is CApitol 2-9921. Jim has keen the Gulf Coast Manager for Russell Maguire.

HUNT PERKLNS of Pure Oil Company's upper Gulf Coast Distr ict office has resigned and i s now applying his abilities a s a consultant to the geology of Ken- tucky in Lexington. He will a lso continue to work the Gulf Coast. Other a r e a s covered will be the Appalachian and Illinois Basin a reas .

BOB GRIGG, formerly of Tidewater in New Orleans, i s now working for Pel- Tex Petroleum in the Americana Building. Bob's phone number i s CA 4-9456.

RAY C. LEWIS has opened a consulting office a t 1239 Esperson Building. Ray was executive vice-president of Highland Oil Company until January 1, 1962. His new phone number is CApitol 7-1961.

D. H. ELLIOTT has moved his photogeological consulting offices f r o m Tuscon, Arizona to the San Jacinto Building in Houston.

E. H. RAINWATER has been honored with a "Distinguished Lectureship" by the AAPG and will be on tour in March and April, 1962.

BRYAN P. LOWERY, Signal Oil & Gas, is reported i l l in Room 625 of St. Luke's Hospital.

New Members of the Societv

The march of new members into our Society continues. We welcomed 13 m o r e during the past month. They are : Herber t F . Poyner, J r ., Bank of South- west; Lewis L . Rayrner, J r . , Schlumberger; D r . George M. Griffin, Shell; Char les F . Iglehart, Pan Am; J . Ben Carsey, J r . , Consultant; Donald L . Hall, G m y & Assoc.; Robert E . Carver , Texaco; Bert C . Timm, Sunray; Paul J. Moore, Scurlock; Gene 0. Pilling, Ind. ; D. H. Elliott, Consultant; James F . Rucker, British-American; Keith A. MacIvor, Signal.

TRANSPORTATION TO AAPG CONVENTION

Carleton D. Speed, J r ., Chairman of the Transportation Committee of HGS, has advised that a s of January 19th there were only 35 coach sea t s and 16 f i rs t c lass sea ts remaining on National Airlines non-stop Jet Flight 27 which will leave Houston a t 11: 15 A.M. on Sunday, March 25th, for the AAPG Convention in San Francisco. This flight is scheduled to a r r i v e in San Francisco a t 1:05 P.M. , Pacific t ime. Those who wish to secure space on this flight should complete their t ravel plans immediately.

H . G . S. Members Preparing Papers for 1962 G.C.A.G.S. Convention

The theme of the 1962 G. C. A.G. S . Convention in New Orleans will be "Basinward Frontiers and Limits for Exploration." George Gore, R . S. Parratt, and Fred Schall of Texas Gas Exploration Company, and Wayne Piette of Skelly a r e preparing a paper covering the Frio and Vicksburg producing trend of the Upper Gulf Coast of Texas. Clint Lueth, Independent Geologist, 604B Americana Building, has agreed to recruit a team to prepare a paper covering the Yegua and Wilcox producing trend of the area . Anyone interested in working with Clint on this study should call him a t CA 7-6861.

The New Orleans convention committee hopes to have papers presented that will cover all of the producing zones of all of the districts covered by i ts member societies. Each member society of the G.C. A. G. S. was asked to furnish papers covering the a rea with which they a r e primarily concerned. As a result of the interest of the five Houston geologists named above, the Houston Geologi- cal Society will be able to make a good showing, but more help is needed. See the "Want Ad" on page 2.

East Texas Society Reprints Jurassic Volume

Development and Future Possibilities of the Jurassic in Northeast Texas, by R. W. Eaton, a 15 page paperback booklet complete with structure, isopach, facies maps and cross sections. This paper was originally published in Febru- ary, 1961. In less than 8 months it was out of print. It has been brought up-to- date a s of October 1, 1961, and reprinted. Several significant Jurassic dis - coveries have developed since the f i rs t publication and have been included in the second. Copies may be ordered from Alex Harvey, Box 2025, Tyler, Texas . Price: $1.50 plus 10 cents per copy postage. Checks should be made payable to East Texas Geological Society.

Talks on Geology at University of Houston

The series of Friday evening talks on geologic topics i s continuing in 1962. They a r e held a t 7:30 p.m. in Room202, Science Building, University of Houston. All who a r e interested a r e invited to attend.

Date - Speaker Subject

Feb. 16 Dr. Riley S . Smith, J r . Florida Keys, Florida Bay, and East Texas State College Bahamas

March 2 Mr. Paul Weaver Compaction and Surface Subsidence Houston, Texas Due to Withdrawal of Fluids

Also, arrangements a r e being made for Mr. Waldo E . Smith, Executive Secretary of the American Geophysical Union, to speak about "Geophysics o n the Move" a t 12:OO noon on Wednesday, February 21st, in the M. D. Anderson Library Auditorium. A film prepared in connection with the I .G.Y. program, "The Hidden Earth," will be shown in connection with this talk. All persons interested in the broad field of geophysics a r e invited to be there.

WHERE ARE THEY? . . . WHO?

The Past Presidents of the Houston Geological Society (C ont inued)

CARLETON D. SPEED, JR. was the eighteenth President of the Society. He came to Houston in 1936 and served as our President in the 1941- 1942 term.

He claims co-discovery of the La Blanca Field in Hidalgo County and Sejita Field in Duval County, and the discovery of the Morgan Creek Field in Polk County and several shallow fields in Archer, Haskell, Throckmorton and Young Counties, where he has production.

For several years Carleton has served as Chairman of the Transportation Committee for the HGS to the AAPG and other Conventions. Special train and airplane trips to Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, St. Louis, New York City and Copenhagen, Denmark, will long be pleasantly remembered by the participants. He was General Chairman of arrangements for the National Convention of t h e AAPG when held in Houston in 1953.

During World War I1 he served with the Petroleum Administration for War in Washington, D. C. - first on the Special Assistant Staff for the Deputy Petro- leum Administrator and later as Chief of the Exploration Section of the Produc- tion Division. For several years he served a s Director and Chairman of the Harris CountyChapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. During this time they established a record by inoculating some 80,000 citizens with salk polio vaccine in a single 24 hour period. He now serves a s Trustee for the Frederick R. Lummis Medical Foundation. He i s listed in "Who i s Who" for the South and Southwest. He and his wife, Marvel, with their two children, live at 3737 Inverness Drive in Houston.

The nineteenth President of HGS was DONALD M. DAVIS. After graduating from the Colorado School of Mines in 1925, he came to Houston as party chief of a Torsion Balance crew for the Humphrey Corporation. In 1927 he joined The Pure Oil Company a s a subsurface geologist. Subsequent promotions took him through the positions of District Geologist, Chief Division Geologist, Division Exploration Manager, and Assistant to the Division Manager, all in the Gulf Coast Producing Division. He served as President of HGS in 1942, at which time he was Chief Division Geologist.

An excellent picture of Don appeared on the front cover of The Pure Oil Company House Organ, October 1951 issue. He says that i t was all propaganda to get him to move to the Chicago main offices of the Pure. Whatever the rea- son for it, Don and wife, Lillian, moved to Chicago in 1951, where he served as Assistant to the Manager of Exploration for Geophysics and Manager of Explo- ration. Anyway, happy days were here again for Don and Lillian when in 1955 they were moved back to Houston where he i s now Supervisor of the Economics and Technology Department of The Pure Oil Company's Southern Division.

Don played a big hand in the discovery of the Bosco Oil Field in Acadia and Lafayette Parishes, Louisiana, and in the discovery and development of Rollover (Block 39) Field, Vermilion Parish Offshore; Creole, East Cameron Parish Off- shore; and Eugene Island Area (Block 32) Offshore; and in Southern Louisiana; and in the Louise Field in Wharton County and the West Ganado Field in Jackson

County, Texas. Don has a hobby of collecting guns. These, with a number of mounted heads

of deer, antelopes and wild hogs, decorate the den of their home. There is an interesting story thatgoes with each, but for lack of space, I fear that Edd would not approve if I tried to repeat them here.

You will be interested to know that Don first learned to play golf while caddying for President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, D.C. in 1914 and 1915. Don and Lillian now live at 1906 Bolsover Street in Houston.

LESLIE BOWLING served as the 20th President of HGS in 1943. He was then in the employ of the Union Oil Company of California. After having received his B.A. degree from The University of Texas in 1928, Leslie came to Houston, and was here until 1946 except for two years, 1934 to 1936, while in Venezuela for the Standard Oil Company.

While in Houston he worked for the Roxana Petroleum Company (now Shell), Julius Fohs, the Tide Water Associated Oil Company (now Tidewater Oil Co.), and the Union Oil Company of California.

In 1946 he moved to New Orleans for William Helis and later with H. L. Hunt. In 1948 he opened an office a s an oil and gas consultant and has since re - mained an independent. In New Orleans he served a s President of the New Orleans Geological Society in 1949. He organized the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies and was Chairman of its first Steering Committee. He was Chairman of the Business Committee of the AAPG in 1958. He served a s Busi- ness Representative for both the Houston and New Orleans Geological Societies.

Oil Fields in which Leslie has had a big hand in the discovery and development a r e Lake Enfermer - Coffee Bay Complex of Lafourche Parish, the Bayou Jean La Croix Field in Terrebone Parish and the West Extension to the Potash Field in Plaquemine Parish, where he now has interests in production. We understand that he also has production of his own on other fields in Louisiana, Texas, and Indiana, and holds high hopes for operations now underway in Canada.

Among his philanthropies a r e a nice endowment set up a t The University of Texas to help improve the Department of Geology. He is presently Chairman of the Orleans Parish Chapter of the National Foundation, Inc. - Annual drive for the March of Dimes for Polio, Birth

Defects, Arthritis, etc. He i s Chairman of House Committee of the Petroleum Club of New Orleans - generally known a s "House Mother" for short.

I am herein including an excellent picture of Leslie a s his wife, Margie, sees him. They live at 16 Richmond Place, New Orleans.

See you next issue. . . . . Wayne F . Bowman, Sr .

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY Space for Professional Cards of Members

JOSEPH L. ADLER Geologist & Geophysicist

1801 Bank of the Southwest Bldg. CA 2-7925

Houston 2, Texas

ALLEN & GlLKlSON Oil and Gas Consultants

Harris H. Allen and D. C. Gilkison

463 San Jacinto Bldg. CA 8-9329 Houston 2, Texas

CLIFFORD F. BARBER

Geologist

401 Esperson Bldg. CA 2-661 1

Houston 2, Texas

E. J. BARRAGY

lndependent

3005 Buffalo Dr. Box 13287

Houston 19, Texas JA 8-5525

JOHN L. BIBLE BIBLE GEOPHYSICAL CO., INC.

Gravity - Magnetic Surveys Interpretations

1045 Esperson Bldg. CA 2-6266 Houston 2, Texas

FRANCIS X. BOSTICK

Geologist

71 1 Melrose Bldg. FA 3-3754

Houston 2, Texas

LESLIE BOWLING

Oil and Gas Consultant

536 California Bldg. JA 2-0432

New Orleans, Louisiana

WAYNE F. BOWMAN, SR.

lndependent Geologist

171 3 Niels Esperson Bldg. CA 2-0279

Houston 2, Texas

ORVAL L. BRACE

Geologist

181 0 South Coast Bldg. CA 8-5404

Houston 2, Texas

RALPH B. CANTRELL

Petroleum Geologist and Engineer

4005 Bellaire Boulevard

Houston 25, Texas

GEORGE H. CLARK Petroleum Geologist

404 First City National Bank FA 3-1 187

Houston, Texas

STUART K. CLARK

Consulting Petroleum Geologist

5443 Lynbrook Dr. SU 2-1638

Houston 27, Texas

JACK COLLE Consulting Geologist and Paleontologist

91 1 San Jacinto Bldg. Houston 2, Texas

RALPH E. DAVIS ASSOCIATES Consultants - Oil and Natural Gas

121 6 Niels Esperson Bldg. CA 4-7576

Houston 2, Texas


J. BRIAN EBY Geologist

2338 Bank of the Southwest Bldg. CA 4- 1622

Houston 2, Texas

ERNEST A. ELWOOD, JR.

lndependent Geologist

331 8 Mercer St. JA 9-3779

Houston 27, Texas

PAUL FARREN Geophysical Consultant

1528 Bank of the Southwest Houston (2) and

Geodata Building M 0 7-331 7 5603 S. Rice Ave. (36)

HERSHAL C. FERGUSON

Consulting Geologist

142 1 Esperson Bldg. CA 8-841 9

Houston 2, Texas

JOHN F. FLANNERY

Petroleum Geologist

4006 Ella Lee Ln. MO 7-0534

Houston, Texas

HAROLD L. GEE Consulting Geologist

1238 Bank of the Southwest Bldg. CA 7-53 17

Houston 2, Texas

KENNETH 1. GOW Consulting Geologist

531 Texas National Bank Bldg. CA 4-6584

Houston 2, Texas

HUBERT GUYOD Well Logging Consultant

5234 Glenmont Dr. MO 7-6561 and MA 3-971 3

Houston 36, Texas

GEORGE C. HARDIN, JR. FRANK R. HARDIN

Petroleum Geologists 71 1 First City National Bank Bldg.

Houston 2, Texas CA 7-5323

HEBERT AND SERBER Geophysical, Geological Consultants

Seismic Review and Subsurface 2422 Bank of the Southwest Bldg.

Houston 2, Texas CA 4-781 5

R. B. HOHLT Geological Consultant

Exploration Exploitation Valuation 1825 Bank of the Southwest Bldg. Houston 2, Texas CA 2-0081

HOWARD HOUGH Consultant

1005-A First City National Bank Bldg. FA 3-7548

Houston 2, Texas

GENTRY KlDD

lndependent

81 3 Esperson Bldg.

Houston 2. Texas

C. T. MacALLlSTER

Geophysical Consultant

6327 Vanderbilt, Houston 5, Texas

M A 3-4181

- -


GEORGE N. MAY & ASSOCIATES Consulting Geologists and

Paleontologists P. 0. Box 2052 Nat Mouton Bldg.

Lafayette, Louisiana

W. B. McCARTER C. E. McCARTER

Independents 141 5 Sul Ross JA 3-5733

Houston, Texas - -

GEORGE I. McFERRON


Room 5, 1973 W. Gray JA 2-2627

Houston, Texas

RAYMOND E. MlNG

Geologist

750 Son Jacinto Bldg. CA 8-1 91 6

Houston 2, Texas

R. B. MITCHELL

Independent

2801 First City National Bank Bldg.

Houston 2, Texas

JOHN C. MYERS Consultant in Oil, Gas and Sulphur

1207 Bank of the Southwest Bldg. CA 5-41 33 and CA 5-4559

Houston 2, Texas

WALTER J. OSTERHOUDT Consulting Geophysicist and

Geologist P. 0. Box 31 82 CH 7-3769

Durango, Colorado

KENNETH DALE OWEN

Geologist

Esperson Building

Houston 2, Texas

ROLAND B. PAXSON


3524 Sunset Blvd. MA 3-9196

Houston 5, Texas

SAM M. PENA

Consultant Ge.ophysicist

446 M. Esperson Bldg. CA 8-8505

Houston 2, Texas

DAVID B. REMICK Consultant

620 Bank of Commerce Bldg. CA 7-4286

Houston 2, Texas

RAYMOND D. REYNOLDS Geologist

436 Bankers Mortgage Bldg. CA 7-5309

Houston 2, Texas

C. H. SAMPLE Consulting Geologist 404 Esperson Bldg.

FA 3-9997 Houston 2, Texas

A. L. SELIG Geologist


Houston 2, Texas


BENJAMIN T. SIMMONS


601 C & I Life Bldg. FA 3-0493

Houston 2,'Texas

FRED 1. SMITH, JR. J. T. GOODWYN, JR. Consulting Geologists

1226 Bank of the Southwest Bldg. Houston 2, Texas CA 5-6656

--

HERBERT C. SMITH Consulting Geophysicist

and Geologist 320 Pinehaven Dr. OV 6-51 53

Houston 24, Texas

H. C. SPOOR, JR. HARRY Kll lAN

Geologists 21 30 Tennessee Bldg. CA 4-971 1

Houston 2, Texas

D. C. STALLWORTH, INC. Engineering and Geological Drafting

Surveying and Mapping Planimetering and Acreage Calculations

1210 Bank of the Southwest Bldg. Houston 2, Texas FA 3-7343

S. BROOKS STEWART Geophysical Consultant

339 Bankers Mortgage Bldg. FA 3-4966

Houston 2. Texas

EDWARD B. STILES Consulting Geologist

10401 Memorial Drive HO 5-8568

Houston 24, Texas

THOMAS F. TAYLOR Petroleum Geologist


Houston 2, Texas

A. H. WADSWORTH, JR.

402 Texas National Bank Bldg.

CA 7-81 51

Houston 2, Texas

J. C. WALTER, JR. Geologist and Petroleum Engineer

2202 Esperson Bldg. CA 7-1 246 Houston 2, Texas

Home Phone: HO 5-9773

GEORGE F. WATFORD Consulting Geologist

833 Bankers Mortgage Bldg. CA 7-6935

Houston 2, Texas

JAMES A. WHEELER

Consultant

1910 Esperson Bldg. FA 3-161 8

Houston 2, Texas

HERBERT E. WILLIAMS

Geologist Oil Producer

1420 Esperson Bldg. CA 3-4033

Houston 2, Texas

CARLETON D. SPEED, JR. Geologist - Oil Producer

71 1 Houston Club Bldg. CA 4-2523

Houston 2, Texas

Exploration and Discovery of Santa Ana (Offshore) Structure, Golfo de Campeche, Tabasco, Mexico,l .By P. E . Narvarte, Consulting Geophysicist

On May 23, 1959, an important oil discovery was made in the tidelands area of the State of Tabasco, off the north or Gulf shore of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico. The discovery well, the CIMA Santa Ana 239, located approximately one mile from shore and 40 miles east of Coatzacoalcos (see map), proved prolific (Miocene) production in the Santa Ana Dome which promises to be one of the great flelds of North America. Judging from well performance and seismic maps, the field has been estimated to have a reserve of more than one billion barrels, and would add in excese of 30% to the known reserves of Mexico. The discovery of this field was made possible by the reinterpretation of old seismic data.

Geophysical exploration work was started in 1948 by Mexican American Independent Co. (CXh4.A) (partly owned by Edwin W. Pauley) with an offshore gravity survey of the tidelands area, by Gravity Meter Exploration Co., from Coatzacoalcos approximately 60 miles to the east. Several prominent gravity maximum and minimum anomalies were mapped. This effort was followed by a marine seismic reflection survey of the same area, shot by American Explora- tion Company, employing a drag cable with geophones on bottom and conven- tional (non-magnetic) recording. Extending well beyond the eastern and western

Mr. P. E . Namr te , a graduate of The University of Texas, has had past experience as photogrameaic engineer with ToMn Aerial Surveys and later as Chief Seiemologist of Petry Geophysical Engineering Company. Since 1946 be has been an indeqmxient coneulting geophysicist in San Antonio. He has had broad experience in Canada, Mexlco, Venezuela and the United States.

l~resented before the Geophysical Society of Houston. September 18, 1961

13

limits of the gravity coverage, this effort was successful in mapping a structure a t Rabon Grande and one a t Tortuguero lying respectively 3 miles and 13 miles from Coatzacoalcos. The former, Rabon Grande, resulted in the first offshore commercial production in Mexico, from slant wells driled *om shore. It was not attempted, however, to interpret the data in a certain locality owing to serious conflicts in the data, and that locality was left uninterpreted where Santa AM dome was later to be discovered.

No definite relation was apparent between t h e aforementioned gravity anomalies and the structural anomalies a s defined by seismic and drilling, s o that not much significance was placed on the gravity picture. Though an equally prominent anomaly was shown to lie in the uninterpreted a rea of Santa h a , to the writer's knowledge no significance was attached to it either.

In the latter part of 1957, nearly ten years after the original shooting, the author's consulting services were employed by CIMA to reinterpret that portion of the seismic coverage lying east of the Santa Ana void in an a rea of some interest known a s Laguna Machana. This was done with only moderate improve- ment over the original mapping. However, venturing westward beyond the pre- scribed area, a pronounced arching was disclosed in the void area of Santa Ana, which was quickly confirmed by further examination of other profile lines. Great misfits found in contouring water depths indicated unequivocably that existing conflicts were linked with gross e r ro r s in offshore surveying, which had been done by the Shoran method employing floating base stations and sub- stations. With this in mind, the conflicting data were either adjusted for posi- tion o r disregarded and the major Santa Ana structure was disclosed for t h e first time.

Because of the vast surveying e r ro r s and poor quality of the data, reshoot- ing with modern equipment was urged by the author, to be preceded by accurate land surveying and accurate location of Shoran land towers. This was done and permanent benchmarks were placed along the coast for future use in visual surveying.

G. S.I. was selected by CIMA to do the seismic work, employing a floating pressure type geophone s t reamer and recording on magnetic tape, and the new shooting was commenced in January, 1958. At the insistence of Petroleos Mexi- canos (PEMEX), the contractor's interpretation work was to be done in Mexico City, while the author was to supervise from San Antonio. Results of the new shooting with modern instruments left much to be desired; and because of diffi- culties encountered in interpretation, copies of the Santa Ana reflection records were rushed to the author who hurriedly prepared a map confirming the expected structure, thereby restoring confidence, and also reinterpreted a forward and reverse refraction line across the crest. Opinions of these refraction data were controversial because the expected salt velocity attitudes were not evidenced by primary events. However, basing his opinion on evidence on secondaries, the author alone stood firm in the belief that a dome was indicated, probably saline,

whose cres t coincided with that of the author's own mapping. It i s understood that others have since mapped the structure prior to the drilling of thediscovery well, among them G. S. I . and PEMEX.

The offshore drilling that ensued in the following year, beginning in the west portion a t Rabon Grande and Tortuguero, was only partly successful and generally disappointing. Yet, despite certain strong opinions to the contrary which considered offshore drilling uneconomical in view of the high cost in- volved and expected poor sand development, Pauley (then sole operator through CIMA) decided in favor of testing the Santa Ana Structure; and PEMEX con- curred, based on their own studies, and approved the drilling of the discovery well. Employing a submersible drilling barge capable of drilling in limited depth of water, the location was made on the south flank in 46' of water, a s near a s possible to the structural cres t which lay 3 miles to the north under 120' of water. The well was dually completed in two Miocene sands making 824 and 912 BOPD through 1/4" choke.

Because of the fury of the elements the submersible barge as well a s two other types of mobile rigs proved unsatisfactory, and all subsequent drilling has been done from a permanent 12-well platform to be followed by a 16-well platform and others. Though some wells have been lost o r damaged by storms, as of last August there were 11 completed wells: 6 duals and 4 triples, and 1 single completion in a slant hole from shore, and these a r e capable of producing some 12, 500 BOPD. With additional development, production by year 's end is expected to reach 25, 000 BOPD. It i s expected that future wells, on 40 ac re spacing, will be dually completed and should produce in excess of 1000 BOPD each (30 days per month), and the total productive area is expected to be between 12,000 and 18,000 acres . At the present ra te of drilling it i s foreseen that future wells will be drilled and completed about one per month.

The author and staff express their sincere appreciation to CIMA and Pauley Petroleum Company for the opportunity to participate in this discovery and for permission to present this writing. Certain maps a r e not included a s clearance has not been received for publication thereof, but a complete case history is being prepared for publication at a later date in either the SEG o r AAPG bulletin.

Status of Geological Education in Southeast Texas

The four higher educational institutions participating in the HGS student loan and outstanding student programs (Rice, University of Houston, A & M, and Texas) with Lamar Tech (only a participant in the outstanding student program) were recently sent a questionnaire a s to present status of geological enrollment. All of the answers a r e in, and this Society appreciates the attention given; but it is realized that some of the chairmen a r e just a little t ired of answering such requests.

Undergraduate enrollment in the five schools is shown on Graph No. 1. Since 1957 the size of classes without exception has decreased until there a r e

46 sophomores, 55 juniors, and 80 seniors in the five schools. There has been a trend in almost all of the schools for some undergraduates to switch their majors to other than geology before graduation, but all of the schools report

that their geology graduates a r e getting jobs. Possibly some of the jobs a r e not the exact phase of geology the college student had in mind, but they a r e getting jobs. -

Graph No. 2 shows the graduate student picture. In the case of "Masters" aspirants no clear cut trend has developed, but there seems to be a slight trend upward. A number of these students were not geology undergraduates. Some have degrees in physics, chemistry, biology, and other subjects. As with the

Graph No. 2

Masters, a number of Ph. D. candidates a r e foreign students who will return to their homelands. The consistent up trend in graduate students a s shown on Graph No. 2 does not guarantee that all future oil company geologists will be masters o r doctors; in fact, the figures indicate that the lack of supply will cause more and more companies to hi re prospective geologists before the end of their senior years - like old times!

Popular Geology in Print

"At recurring intervals the ocean grew cold. Ice piled up along its extrem- ities, and s o pulled vast amounts of water from the sea, so that the wandering shoreline of the continents sometimes jutted miles farther out than before. Then, for a hundred thousand years, the ceaseless ocean would tear a t the ex- posed shelf of the continents, grinding rocks into sand and incubating new life."*

Recognize these flowing words? This i s one of the opening paragraphs of "Hawaii" by James A. Michener. The first fourteen pages give a very interesting description of the geological and floral history of our 50th State. Following that a r e slightly over 900 pages covering the faunal and human history of the islands - all in all - excellent reading!

Geology References at Houston Public Library

Establishment of the Business Technology Room on the second floor of the Houston Public Library, with special attention given to geology references, has resulted in greater use of the library by Houston Geological Society members. Compilation by the Ladies Auxiliary of a list of geological publications continues and we hope to have it ready for release to the members early in the year.

Acquisition by the Library of new titles i s somewhat limited a s available funds a r e required to a large extent for subscriptions to journals. Arrange- ments have been made to place all Houston Geological Society publications in the Library, and a plan i s under discussion to exchange Houston Geological Society publications for those of other organizations. Donations of publications continue to be received and Society members a r e urged to check their personal and company libraries for unused or duplicate material; if the Public Library already has some of these, additional copies a r e always useful for exchange. It i s important to remember that these donations can be counted a s an income tax deduction. The need for a "verifax" o r other type of duplicating machine in the Business Technology Room has not been filled and it is suggested that Society members investigate their personal and company inventories to s e e if they might have surplus equipment. This donation also would classify a s an income tax deduction. The committee will welcome suggestions on these and other matters.

. . .Stewart H. Folk & Ralph E . Taylo

*Reprinted by permission of Mr. Michener.

Notes on Southwest Federation of Geological Societies, Fourth Annual Meeting - E l Paso, Texas, November 1-3, 196 1

Perhaps it may seem presumptious for a geologist who has acquired most of his experience in the Tertiary to attempt a review of a se r ies of papers on the Paleozoic and Mesozoic; nevertheless, I was in attendance, heard most of the papers, and will attempt to give you my impressions.

My overall impression of the meeting i s influenced to a large extent by the poor presentation of otherwise excellent material. The technical sessions were held in a theatreacross the s t ree t from the Headquarters Hotel and this arrange- ment proved very satisfactory. However, it was evident that very little pre- convention attention had been given to providing adequate illustration of the papers. The lantern slides which accompanied each paper were uniformly bad, both in preparation and projection. Some of the slides were entirely illegible and some could not even be projected. This deficiency would have been reduced considerably by having transactions available of the papers presented. This year only brief abstracts and speakers' biographies were furnished, while in last year ' s meeting in Abilene a very complete Book of Transactions with illus- trations was furnished.

The scheduling of papers also left something to be desired. The convention began with papers on the sedimentation and tectonics of northern Mexico and southern par ts of Arizona and New Mexico, and continued through Paleozoic and Mesozoic stratigraphy and economic o re deposits of the same region. The last two papers on Friday afternoon finally got into the "Oil Country" with papers on the Val Verde and Delaware Basins. Although these last papers were well at- tended, I am sure they would have been received by a larger audience had they been placed ear l ier in the schedule.

Because of space consideration, no attempt will be made to review specifi- cally any of the papers presented. However, those in attendance seemed t o agree that Dr . de Cserna's paper on the Geological Setting of Northern Mexico was an outstanding contribution to the geological l i terature of that region. Also, D r . Wengerd's paper on Wildcat Oil of Southwestern New Mexico gave encour- agement to many of the petroleum geologists now actively seeking discoveries in that a rea .

The Field Tr ip on Wednesday consisted of a two hour bus ride into the Franklin Mountains with three stops, where participants were able to see the Bliss sandstone, the El Paso limestone and the Montoya formation. The scheduled air-ground t r ip for Saturday, over Old Mexico and Big Bend Area, was cancelled because of unavailability of a i r transportation.

On the social side, nearly everyone seemed pleased with the choice of El Paso a s a convention city. The dinner dance on Thursday night a t La Fiesta Theatre Club in Juarez was an outstanding success, and many of the conven- tioneers availed themselves of the opportunity to visit and shop among our neighbors In Old Mexico. . . . R. W. Grayson

"A Talent Night Party" will be given by the Geological Auxiliary a t the Houston Club on Tuesday evening, February 13. A show, including members and their husbands, will be given after cocktails and dinner. Come s e e your friends perform - i t 's a must1 Price: $10.00 p e r couple.

On Wednesday, February 21, a t 11:OO AM, the Geo-Wives will meet a t the Geophysical Club with Mrs . G. E . Conwill and Mrs . David T. Threinen serving a s hostesses. This should be a good meeting, and of special interest will be the "Old Accessory Sale." Be s u r e to come - buy and sell!

Christmas Holidays found everyone busy - hunting, traveling, partying, being a s well a s having guests, and enjoying being with friends and families.

The Paul Fa r rens rea l ly s t a r r ed a s hunters -June got one, and both Paul and son, Dunlap, got 3 deer each when they hunted in Brazos County with the Ed Smiths. The Smiths didn't do s o well s o they journeyed to K e r r County to hunt and st i l l a r e not bragging1

M r s . Marjory Rushing of Durant, Oklahoma, had he r annual Chr is tmas visit with h e r daughter, M r s . Philip Allin, and family. . . . .Virginia and Clark Edge- comb had a s their Christmas guests M r s . Mary Hill of Dallas and many teen - agers . . . .Mrs . I . W. Leighton of Iowa City, Iowa, came home with h e r daughter, Mrs . Elliott Powers, to finish recuperating from a n i l lness. . . . . The Robert E . Southers, after the f i rs t of the year, tripped to Merida, on the Yucatan Peninsula, Coatzacoalcos, and Mexico Ci ty . . . . .Dr . and M r s . John D. Todd and daughter, Bernie, enjoyed the Chr is tmas holidays in Honolulu.. . . . M r . and Mrs . Ross Dawson a r e the proud parents of a baby boy born in December.

We salute the following who always celebrate anniversaries a t Christmas time: Sylvia and Bill Gorman, Florence and Gil Berg, Marjory and Phil Allin, Wuanita and Sid Schafer, Pace and Homer Moore.

The Bill Poes and Robert Behrmans moved into their new homes in t ime to celebrate Christmas - and do did the Jimmy St. Johns.

We a r e so r ry to hear that Vonnie and Joe Stewart with Union Texas Natural Gas Company a r e t ransferred t o New Orleans, but we ' re glad to hear of Joe's promotion. Joe's there and Vonnie and Joey will join him soon. Anybody want to buy a house?

We wish to extend sympathy to Virginia Voigt and family over the loss of he r mother.

That 's al l for now! Don't forget to call m e your news.

. . . Eleanor Briggs

APACHE EXPLORATION CO.

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CARDINAL PRINTING COMPANY, INC.

GEODATA SERVICES, INC.

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E. I. duPONT de NEMOURS & CO.

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GENERAL GEOPHYSICAL COMPANY

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KILROY COMPANY OF TEXAS, INC.

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M P S PRODUCTION CO.

MEREDITH & COMPANY

QUINTANA PETROLEUM CORPORATION

SCHLUMBERGER WELL SURVEYING CORP.

SEISMOGRAPH SERVICE CORPORATION

EDGAR TOBlN AERIAL SURVEYS

234 ESPERSON BUILDING HOUSTON. TEXAS

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Houston, Texas Permit No. 5872

hgs bulletin volume 4 no. 6 (february 1962)

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