may meeting: may 13, 2010well data across the baton rouge fault system, northern gulf of mexico...

May 2010

May meeting:

Thursday May 13, 2010

Location:

Le Pavillon, New Orléans

Sponsor : Baker Hughes

Cost: $30 for SGS Members $35 for Non-members

RSVP By Monday

May 10 To

Mr. Ken Reynolds (985) 773-6288 or

[email protected]

GEOSCIENCE-BASED MONITORING OF FLOOD PROTECTION LEVEES: A COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL

BETWEEN LSU AND UNO EARTH SCIENCE DEPARTMENTS, NASTL

By Dr. Juan Lorenzo (LSU), Drs. Juliette and George Ioup (UNO)

And Dr. Kenneth Holladay (UNO)

Need exists for a proactive model-based approach in the study of coastal protection systems along the Gulf Coast of the U.S.A. and, in particular, throughout the large coastal urban area of greater New Orleans. The University of New Orleans and Louisiana State University propose to use near-surface geophysics tools to train students and better understand near-surface hydrogeologic processes which can contribute to the structural failure of artificial earthen levees. Many mechanisms for failure, such as liquefaction or underseepage, take place because of a lack of understanding of the strength and permeability of the embankment and its soil foundation. Inherent uncertainties in the engineering analyses and unexpected variability in the foundation soils can be checked independently through geophysical methods. Near-surface geophysical tools can provide fast, relatively inexpensive overviews of the subsurface. We propose an initial phase of work focused at identifying suitable levee “hot spot” areas for geophysical monitoring. During this phase, we will map natural geologic features along the levee, review public reports, examine public databases (LiDAR), and make all results available through a public website. Second, we will establish the best geophysical monitoring models and gravity techniques. At a minimum, comprehensive integration of seismic and electrical resistivity with geo-engineering log data should be used.

Southeastern Geophysical Society Reflections May 2010 1

Recent attempts have been made to use seismic methods to develop a proxy for engineering shear strength by mapping changes in the transmission of shear waves (Vs) through artificial levees. In the absence of electromagnetic methods, Vp/Vs ratios can be used as good indicators of variations in the fluid saturation, be it water, air, or gas. Cone penetration borehole tests measure the resistance of the soil to penetration of the cone tip and its frictional sliding that can be correlated to sediment types and seismic physical properties. Predicted shear modulus minima correlate with interpreted zones of highly organic sediments and undercompacted clay-rich sediments. Three test examples show the value of shallow seismology at sites of artificial levee seepage in greater New Orleans at

(1.) The 17th Avenue breach site (2.) Lake Villa pump station (3.) Incipient levee collapse at the “V-levee” of Marrero, Louisiana

Lake Villa pump station levee seeps are attributable to a perched aquifer within the levee fill and not to through-flow from Lake Pontchartrain. The 17th Street Canal seeps originating in backfill can be located and mapped with seismic techniques. At the third site, in Marrero, we associate the damaged levee with zones of high fluid concentration, high organic content, and anomalously low soil shear strength. We request support and advice from professional oil and gas societies. We guarantee dissemination of this support at all times through web publications and continued public and professional presentations, both regional and national, as well as in national and international journals.


Juan Lorenzo

(a) Professional Preparation University of Barcelona, Spain Geology Licenciatura 1983 Columbia University, NY Marine Seismology M.A., M.Phil. 1986,1987 Columbia University, NY Marine Seismology Ph.D., 1991 Flinders University, South Australia Marine Geophysics Research Fellow 1990-1992 (b) Appointments 1998-present Associate Professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana

State University. 1993-1998 Assistant Professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana

State University. 1983-1990 Graduate Research Assistant, Columbia University. July-Oct., 1982 Intern, Western Geophysical, Milan, Italy, seismic data processing. 1981-1983 Undergraduate Research Assistant, University of Barcelona, Spain.

(c) Recent Publications Relevant to Near-Surface Geophysics Smolkin1 David E, Lorenzo , Juan M. White, Chris Kosar, T., Tyagi, M, Allen, Gabrielle. 2010 Seismic Physical

Reservoir Modeling Experiment in a Sand-Tank Facility, Eos Trans. AGU, Foz do Iguassu, Brazil. 8-13 August, Spring Meet. Suppl., Abstract NS- 853347.

Lorenzo, J.M., 2010 Seismology in Sport Seismological Research Letters, 81/3, 526-529. Lorenzo, Juan M., Hicks, J., Vera, E.E., 2009 Shallow (0-10) seismic investigation of a distressed earthen levee,

New Orleans, USA. Eos Trans. AGU, 90(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract NS33A-04 Jeanloz, R., Beck, S.L., Lisowski, M., Lorenzo, J.M., Mora, C.I., Rimstidt, J.D., Shirey, S.B.S., S., and Wirth, K.,

(2008) Earth science instrumentation and facilities program review: EOS, Transactions , American Geophysical Union, v. 89, p. 61-72.

Lorenzo, J.M., Saanumi, A, Westbrook1, C., Egnew, S, Bentley, S. Vera, E., 2006. Extensive testing of sled-mounted geophone arrays for near-surface (0-4m) layers in floodplain sedimentary facies: Atchafalaya Basin, Indian Bayou, Louisiana. Proceedings of the Society Exploration Geophysicists Meeting, New Orleans Oct 1-6, 2006.

Westbrook1, C.C., Lorenzo, J.M., Saanumi1, A., Zapata1, R., Egnew1, S., 2005. Shear Seismic Anisotropy Within a Relay Ramp Structure, Baton Rouge Fault System, Louisiana EOS Trans. American Geophysical Union, 86(18) Joint Assem., Suppl. Abstract NS41B-03, 23-27 May 2005, Spring Meeting, New Orleans.

Lorenzo, J.M., 2004. Seismic testing of shallow Quaternary fluvial facies. In Cultural Resources Investigation of Public Access Lands in the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway, Indian Bayou North Project Area, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. P. 6-1-6-18 Ch. 6 Eds. Weinstein, R., Wells, D., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District Report, 228 pp.

Lorenzo, J.M., Cazes1, C., Westbrook1, C., Lowrie, A., and Van Heerden, I., 2004. Relation between Holocene and Tertiary normal faults: A comparison of shallow seismic and gravity data with deep well data across the Baton Rouge fault system, northern Gulf of Mexico coast, Louisiana, USA.: Transactions-Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies, v. 54th Annual Convention, p. 369-370.


(d) Relevant synergistic activity 2010 Designed and built surface electrical-mechanical impulse seismic shear source (funded by South

East Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East). 2005-2006 Designed and built prototype educational seismograph for use in U.S. Gulf Coast high schools

(funded by SEG Foundation). 2003-present Recruiter and instructor for 6-week workshop dedicated to African-American and

Hispanic undergraduate majors from SMET HBCU's and Hispanic serving institutions (funded by NSF-OEDG).

2002-present Member, International Working Group for Submarine Gas hydrates, offshore Chile. 2001 Fulbright Research/Teaching Scholar, Visiting Professor, University of Chile 1993-present Editorial board of Geo-Marine Letters.

Graduate Advisee: J. Crane (for Ph.D.) E. Elliott (for M.Sc.), J. Hicks, D. Smolkin (for M.Sc.) , R. Boehme, (M.Sc. now at Chevron-Texaco), C. Cazes (M.Sc. now at Devon energy), K. Tandon (Ph.D., now at Fugro Inc.), John Londono (Ph.D., now at Shell), A. Saanumi (M.Sc., now at Marathon), C. Westbrook (for M.Sc., now at Exxon-Mobil), R. Zapata (for Ph.D., now at Empresa Nacional Petróleos Chile). Awards •2010 Tiger Athletic Foundation Teacher Award Nominee, LSU •2003 Award of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching LSU College of Basic Sciences •Fulbright International Lecturing/Research Scholar, 2001.

100 NorthPark Blvd Covington, LA 70433

(985) 773-6000

100 NorthPark Blvd Covington, LA 70433

(985) 773-6000


From the (Outgoing) President Eric Zimmermann Thank You This year has been a great year the Southeastern Geophysical Society both for the work of the society and for the personal experience. For the society, we have put together a tremendous program of events and speakers and hopefully provided a service to the community at large. Our financial and membership rosters are strong and well positioned going into the future. We have continued to support the community through scholarship and community contribution and involvement. As the landscape of our city continues to evolve, we need to challenge ourselves to evolve and grow with it. Personally, I have had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people in the society and sponsors, and interact with a tremendous group of professionals who make up our board. I am appreciative for the chance to serve the society and implore anyone who is considering being an officer to try it, because they will probably like it. I am proud of the board coming in, I believe that they can build on our successes and improve our weaknesses. Succinctly, I want to say thank you for allowing me the opportunity to lead the SGS. Sincerely, Eric

Southeastern Geophysical Society’s

University Scholars

University of New Orleans:

Christopher Esposito

Louisiana State University:

Celina Will


S.G.S. Scholars

Jacob Reynolds Son of Mr. Ken Reynolds

Brother Martin High School

Dominick Sparacino Son of Mr. Mike Sparacino

Louisiana State University

Eric Regel Son of Mr. Bernie Regel Jesuit High School

Carl Salo Son of Mr. Ed Salo

Interlochen Center for the Arts


North Shore Spring Social and Membership Drive Thursday June 3, 2010

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

434 N. Columbia Street

Covington, La

For the cost of membership, come join us in the Tap Room Patio for some food, fun, and drinks. If you have already renewed your membership, come and be part of a great Society.

SGS Membership and Spring Social: $20.00 SGS Members 2010 – 2011: $10.00

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler *Please RSVP by Monday, May 31 – Don Dubose (504)592-5105


From the Past President Tim Maciejewski Hobbies, We all need them to keep ourselves occupied. They relieve stress by letting our minds focus on something that is fun for us to do. In the past, I have mentioned several hobbies that we are interested in. My fun activity, the one I enjoy the most is Geocaching ( www.geocaching.com ). I would like to go into a little more depth about this hobby/game. A Brief History: ”Global Positioning System (GPS), was initially developed by the US Department of Defense for military use. Initially the satellite broadcasts were scrambled, limiting accuracy for private usage to about 100 meters. On May 1, 2000, President Clinton announced that this scrambling, known as Selective Availability ( SA ), would be turned off and the accuracy would increase to about 10 meters.

On May 3, 2000, Dave Ulmer proposed a way to celebrate the demise of SA. He hid a bucket in the woods outside Portland, Oregon and posed its GPS location in a posting to a USENET newsgroup dedicated to GIS. This announcement essentially laid out the essence of Geocaching that is still in place today.

Within a day, the original cache had been found. Within days, more stashes had been hidden in California, Kansas, and Illinois. Within a month, a stash had been hidden as far away as Australia. The hobby was fast on its way to being a worldwide phenomenon. “ Adapted from ( geocaching.gpsgames.org/history/ ). Currently, there are over a million locations worldwide.

Today with WAAS ( a series of ground based GPS locations that track the GPS signals and compensate for the 10 meter uncertainty), I can easily obtain one meter accuracy in an open field.

The thing I like most about this hobby is that it gets me outdoors to locations that I did not know about. The object is to go to a GPS coordinate location and to find something that is hidden at that location; it’s like a combination of letterboxing and orienteering. At times, finding the hidden object is very hard. You would be surprised and at containers used to hold the paper log that you need to sign. They can be as small at a pencil eraser, and or large as a truck of a car. If you have kids, this is a great way of getting them away from the video games. For the Geologists, there are specialized caches called Earthcaches where you learn about the geology of that particular region.

Since we started in 2002 we have found over 1600 locations. Of those, I have two favorites. The first is here in New Orleans. One of the building managers in Downtown New Orleans is big into caching. If you go to the security desk and ask for the cache, they will take you to the service elevator and up to the top floor of the building where the cache resides. In nice weather, they will let you walk out onto the heliport on top of the building where you get a great view of the French Quarter and the river. My second favorite location is near El Paso, Texas. Many years ago, they were transporting a WWII bomber from San Antonio to California. They landed in El Paso to refuel. Due to pilot error, the plane landed too hard and broke the landing gear. This plane is now the centerpiece of a small WWII museum. You need to go into the plane, climb down into the bombers seat. While sitting in the bombers chair above your head are several old ammunition cans. Yep, one of the ammo cans is the cache.

While going through the university, I thought Geology was a good way of working outside. Now I sit in an office all day. On my days off Geocaching gets me back to the outdoors that I long for. If you are interested in learning more about caching, please give me an e-mail.

Regards,

Tim M…


SGS OFFICERS 2009-2010 Mike Schneider, ENI, First VP Dave Gillis, Schlumberger, Treasurer Mary Wildman, MMS, Editor Eric Zimmermann, President, LLOG Jared Bosch, Chevron, Secretary Ken Reynolds, Chevron, 2nd VP

From your Southeastern Geophysical Society Executive Committee Thank you to our membership for a terrific year! We have enjoyed seeing you at our monthly luncheon meetings, at social events like our seasonal parties, at recreational events like our golf tourney and crawfish boil, and at our technical symposium. Thank you for your loyal attendance! May our incoming officers enjoy their tenure as much as we did! Sincerely, Eric, Mike, Ken, Jared, Dave, Mary, Richard, Tim, & Toby



SGS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President:

Editor: SGS EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE 2009-2010

Mary Wildman (504) 736-2664 MMS, Mail Stop 5322 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70123 [email protected] Prior Past President: Toby Roesler (504) 593-7937 1250 Poydras Street, Suite 2000 New Orleans, LA 70113 [email protected]

Eric Zimmerman (985) 833-7700 LLOG Exploration Webmaster: 1001 Ochsner Blvd. Richard Mongan (832) 854-5725 Covington, LA 70433

Chevron [email protected] 1500 Louisiana Street Houston, TX 77002 [email protected] 1st Vice President:

Mike Schneider (504) 593-7483 ENI Petroleum 1250 Poydras Street, Suite 2000

Outreach New Orleans, LA 70113 Lisa Dwyer Kennedy (504) 736-2794 [email protected]

Minerals Management Service 2nd Vice President: 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123 Ken Reynolds (985) 773-6288 [email protected] Chevron

100 Northpark Boulevard Covington, LA 70433

Advertiser Index CGG Veritas.......................................2 Chevron.............................................5 Geophysical Pursuit Inc...................8 Shell....................................................9 EMGS..................................................5 PGS...................................................25 Fairfield.............................................18 TGS....................................................20 Seisco................................................21 SEI......................................................21 Geokinetics........................................24

[email protected] Secretary Jared Bosch (985) 773-6251 Chevron 100 Northpark Boulevard Covington, LA 70433 [email protected] Treasurer Dave Gillis (504) 592-5360 Schlumberger 1515 Poydras Street New Orleans, LA 70112 [email protected] Past President Tim Maciejewski (985) 773-6148 Chevron 100 Northpark Boulevard Covington, LA 70433 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]










may meeting: may 13, 2010well data across the baton rouge fault system, northern gulf of mexico...

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