April 2006 Research Briefs
See more research items in
Jackson School Quarterly.
UTIG researchers Paul Mann and Alejandro Escalona edited AAPG’s Special Volume this April (volume 90, number 4, 2006) on Maracaibo basin, “3-D Anatomy of a Supergiant, Maracaibo Basin, Venezuela.”
The editors dedicated the volume to Bill Fisher for being “a tireless proponent of research and mentor of graduate students engaged in research on the Maracaibo basin.” Mann and Escalona note that throughout his career, Fisher “has been committed to promoting opportunities for students from outside the United States and for increasing the ethnic diversity of the graduate student population of the Department of Geological Sciences” at UT Austin. He has also supervised more than 30 Venezuelan graduate students since 1987. Eleven of these students conducted graduate research on the Maracaibo basin. Their theses and published results “form the core of information presented in this volume,” state the editors.
Mann said that to his knowledge, this was the first thematic issue of the
AAPG Bulletin edited by UT Austin researchers and utilizing only work done in
conjunction with UT Austin thesis research. He also believes it is the first
Bulletin dedicated to Fisher.
Eight articles authored or co-authored by Mann and Escalona cover topics in regional geology, tectonic history, petroleum systems, reservoir properties, stratigraphy, and mapping of the basin. Fisher and José Guzmán co-authored an article on “Early and middle Miocene depositional history of the Maracaibo basin, western Venezuela.”
From the introduction and dedication to the Bulletin:
With past production of 30 billion bbl of oil, the Maracaibo Basin of Venezuela is at the top tier of the world's most prolific supergiant basins. This special issue includes nine papers that describe all aspects of this unique basin, including its modern tectonic and geologic setting, its tectonic history since the Late Jurassic, its stratigraphy and structure, and its petroleum system. Although a mature basin, the Maracaibo Basin is by no means "played out." Conservative reserve estimates top 14 billion bbl; modern secondary recovery methods now being applied to older production wells could increase these estimates considerably. These reserve estimates, combined with its strategic location in the central part of the western hemisphere, will ensure that the Maracaibo Basin will be of interest to the AAPG North American and international membership for many years to come.
Information for the articles in this special issue is drawn from a series of master's theses and Ph.D. dissertations completed in the period of 1990 to 2003 by 11 Venezuelan students at the Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, along with students from universities in the United States and Europe. William L. Fisher, the current dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences, played a critical role in promoting this long-term international academic partnership between the National Company of Venezuela, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), and the University of Texas at Austin. Ernest Mancini, current AAPG editor, was supportive of this theme issue as an alternative to publishing a book. Funding and data for much of the student research that appears in this issue was provided by PDVSA, the Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society, and the University of Texas Jackson School of Geosciences. The contribution of 3-D seismic data to us by PDVSA for the Maracaibo Basin has been especially useful in unraveling the complex structural and stratigraphic history of this supergiant basin.
The volume, available at the April AAPG meeting is Houston, can also be found
on the AAPG Bulletin Web site.
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Researchers from the Institute for Geophysics are engaged in a multi-year seismic study in collaboration with GX Technology (GXT) in the Gulf of Guinea. The partnership, which has already yielded significant seismic data and a successful proposal to the National Science Foundation, could serve as a model for future collaborations between industry and the marine geophysical community.
The research involves recording seismic waves produced by earthquakes and survey vessels as they explore for oil and gas in the Gulf of Guinea. UTIG researchers are installing seismographs on all four CVL islands to record both earthquakes and airgun shots from survey ships. They have also deployed ocean bottom seismographs for a two-dimensional refraction study across the line.
The study focuses on the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL), a 1600-km-long chain of volcanic centers and plutons. The CVL is an example of “hotspot” volcanism similar to the Hawaii-Emperor chain. Understanding its structure will help clarify the origin of the volcanoes that make up the islands and possibly the origin of hotspots all over the world.
For its aid, GXT will obtain seismic velocities of the Gulf of Guinea crust that will help the firm migrate its reflection data accurately. UTIG benefits from GXT personnel and the GXT vessel with its large air-gun array. UTIG researchers on the project are Jay Pulliam, Harm van Avendonk, Luc Lavier, Matt Hornbach, and Yosio Nakamura.
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In the fall, the Bureau of Economic Geology’s Center for Energy Economics (CEE) was awarded a $3.5 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue work with the Resource Center for Energy Economics and Regulation (RCEER) in Ghana. As part of the agreement, CEE and RCEER will focus on capacity building and public education to contribute to Ghana’s efforts at developing a natural gas market framework.
The scope of the current cooperative agreement extends beyond Ghana to include replication of the Ghana model in other regions in Africa and Latin America. The CEE will also extend its Smart Development Initiative through international partnerships, capacity building, and training and development of USAID personnel.
Head of the CEE, Michelle Michot Foss, believes the grant opens opportunities to build stronger, more prominent linkages between the CEE and its corporate network. The CEE is currently exploring establishment of a “Global Development Alliance” to supplement activities and funding provided by this agreement, starting with the narrowly defined mission of development of a functioning natural gas market framework in Ghana.
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For more information about the Jackson School contact J.B. Bird at jbird@jsg.utexas.edu,
512-232-9623.
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