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MARCH/APRIL 2021 • ISSUE 2

THE MAGAZINE OF CANADIAN ENERGY GEOSCIENTISTS

Reservoir cspg.org

Registration is Now Open! Benefits of Attending: Access to Technical Content: • Enjoy over twenty technical presentations within four themed sessions. • Experience “lightning talks” a new CSPG online conference feature which are a twist on conference poster boards. • Learn about new software and technologies.

Registration Information:

GUSSOW AD COMING CSPG Member: $200.00 CAD Non-Member: $320.00 CAD Student Rate: $ 75.00 CAD *Group Rates Available upon request.

Earn CPD Credits: • Conference attendees earn up to 14 CPD credits from both days of talks. • Pre and Post Conference short courses and virtual field trips are offered during the conference week. • Learn about new software and technologies. Digital Conference Benefits: • Network with peers and colleagues from the geoscience comunity virtually. • Access to all content post conference to watch in your own time.

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In This Issue

MARCH/APRIL 2021

Letter from the Editor

Message from the Board

2020 CSPG Award Recipient — Stanley Slipper Gold Medal Award

10 Regulating the Geoscience Professions — Part 2 of 4: Public Interest, Social Licence, Regulation, Ethics and Professionalism By George Eynon

13 2020 CSPG Award Recipient — President’s Award 14 Go Take A Hike – Ethiopia, #4 By Philip Benham, Enku Mulugeta, Tom Pfeiffer, and Jiri von Drak

22 The Blue View: Industry Trends Through Woodmac's Lens 25 2020 CSPG Award Recipient — Tracks Award 26 Andrew Neil Hutton — A Tribute By Wayne Shepheard and Easton Wren

28 CSPG GeoTours: Rafting the Grand Canyon By Astrid Arts

42 Don't shrug off this Atlas By Neil Watson

Conferences

e-Talks

Page 21

Page 2

Page 31-41

April 21, 2020

Gussow Conference

Technical Division e-Talks

Origin and formation mechanism of H2S in the Montney Formation – tale of a complex diagenetic process

Page 36

Page 44

Omid H. Ardakani, Andrew Kingston, Jaime Cesar

Core Conference Page 34

Mountjoy Conference

GeoWomen e-Talks

UPCOMING EVENTS

Technical Webinar

CALEDONIAN OROGEN, NORTHEASTERN GREENLAND As seen on the south shore of Ymer Island, cyclically-deposited, light-coloured sandstones and dark mudstones of the 600 to 700 million year old Eleonore Bay Supergroup were folded during the Caledonian Orogeny about 420 million years ago. Antarctic Sound in the foreground. Photo by: Tom Frisch.

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

FROM THE EDITOR TOM SNEDDON, PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST (ALBERTA), PROFESSIONAL GEOSCIENTIST

"M This is a great time for attending CSPG Technical Divisions webinars, virtual workshops, virtual conferences and doing a little daydreaming of going and taking an actual hike!

arch winds and April showers bring forth the May flowers” begins the mid-16th century English poem ascribed to Anonymous, a famous creator of all kinds of arts and sciences. This prescription may apply to Vancouver Island, however the rest of us on the North part of the Continent, are facing the snowiest time of the year. This is a great time for attending CSPG Technical Divisions webinars, virtual workshops, virtual conferences and doing a little daydreaming of going and taking an actual hike! We coaxed the webinar authors to expand their abstracts and they came through famously.

Yes, it was not a great financial year for CSPG, however through cautious management, the staff and volunteers keep the ship afloat and headed in the right direction. Examine the figures closely, heave a collective sigh and be determined to keep our great Society moving forward to its centenary and beyond. Details of how one way we can do this is to be found in Chad Glemser’s Message from the Board about conferences.

While 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 were a full-fledged bummer, we are beginning to see an end to the Covid-19 Pandemic, fueled by vaccines from other countries and any army of incredibly dedicated medical personnel. The good times and gatherings will come again. In the meantime, how about delving into Part 2 of George Eynon’s series on the Regulation of Geoscience Professionals, a vicarious trip (well-illustrated and documented) to exotic Ethiopia with Philip Benham and friends. Then a look at industry trends through Woodmac's lens.

That is our offering for March and April, with a gentle reminder that golf courses begin operations in only a few short (never short enough) weeks. Hopefully, we will also have our CSPG sports pages back in operation for the summer and autumn (fingers crossed) editions of the Reservoir. n

In this issue, we highlight the 2020 Stanley Slipper award recipient, Dean Potter. Details of his career successfully pursuing Saskatchewan plays is inspiring for all of us.

Tom Sneddon

PUBLICATIONS INFORMATION The RESERVOIR is published 6 times per year by the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. The purpose of the RESERVOIR is to publicize the Society’s many activities and to promote the geosciences. We look for both technical and non-technical material to publish. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the publisher. No official endorsement or sponsorship by the CSPG is implied for any advertisement, insert, or article that

appears in the RESERVOIR unless otherwise noted. All submitted materials are reviewed by the editor. We reserve the right to edit all submissions, including letters to the Editor. Submissions must include your name, address, and membership number (if applicable). The material contained in this publication is intended for informational use only. While reasonable care has been taken, authors and the CSPG make no guarantees that any of the equations, schematics, or devices discussed will perform as expected

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

or that they will give the desired results. Some information contained herein may be inaccurate or may vary from standard measurements. The CSPG expressly disclaims any and all liability for the acts, omissions, or conduct of any third-party user of information contained in this publication. Under no circumstances shall the CSPG and its officers, directors, employees, and agents be liable for any injury, loss, damage, or expense arising in any manner whatsoever from the acts, omissions, or conduct of any third-party user.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2021

PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT ELECT

PAST PRESIDENT

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Neil Watson

Kelty Latos

Jen Russel-Houston

Jason Frank

Enlighten Geoscience Ltd. president@cspg.org Linkedin

ConocoPhillips Canada Ltd. presidentelect@cspg.org LinkedIn

Osum Oil Sands Corp. pastpresident@cspg.org Linkedin

Athabasca Oil Corp. directorfinance@cspg.org Linkedin

FINANCE DIRECTOR ELECT

DIRECTOR

Erin Crerar

Kurt Armbruster

Mona Enachescu

Amy Fox

directorfinanceelect@cspg.org Linkedin

technicaldivisions@cspg.org Linkedin

Cavalier Energy Inc. outreach@cspg.org Linkedin

Enlighten Geoscience Ltd. education@cspg.org Linkedin

DIRECTOR

Chad Glemser

Mark Mallamo

Kiersten Mohr

Genga Nadaraju

conferences@cspg.org Linkedin

Acquisition Oil Corp. fieldtrips@cspg.org Linkedin

Terra Firma Transition publications@cspg.org LinkedIn

membershipdirector@cspg.org Linkedin

OFFICE CONTACTS MEMBERSHIP INQUIRIES Tel: 403-264-5610 Email: membership@cspg.org

CSPG OFFICE #150, 540 - 5th Ave SW Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 0M2 Tel: 403-264-5610 | www.cspg.org

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Emma MacPherson Tel: 403-513-1230 Email: emma.macpherson@cspg.org

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Yarina Moharam Tel: 403-513-1235 Email: yarina.moharam@cspg.org MANAGING DIRECTOR Yarina Moharam Tel: 403-513-1235 Email: yarina.moharam@cspg.org

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAD GLEMSER, CSPG CONFERENCES DIRECTOR

2020

has been a challenging and difficult year for everyone, including the CSPG. The impact of COVID-19 combined with the volatility in commodity prices has dramatically altered our conference offerings. The CSPG has made great efforts to move our conferences from in-person to virtual in a short period of time. This has not been easy for the office staff and many volunteers who have had to balance this work with their current jobs and families during lockdowns and remote working. We should all take time to appreciate the efforts of the CSPG staff and volunteers who during these unprecedented times continued to push forward CSPG events and conferences. Thank you to all for your dedication and perseverance!

2021 is shaping up to be another year of uncertainty, however, the CSPG has been working hard to bring virtual conferences to our membership that are progressive and supportive of a changing world.

Given the current situation, opportunities have arisen with the CSPG embracing virtual webinars and conferences. This, over-time, will bring value to CSPG members near and far by allowing more people to access our content wherever they are in the world. Of course, we all long to get back to in-person conferences where we can catch-up with colleagues to network and share ideas. For 2021, our conference offerings will remain virtual, with the hope that by 2022 we will be able to return to in-person events. This year’s Gussow entitled “Back to Black: Revisiting Manville Heavy Oil and Oilsands” will take place virtually on March 10-11th, 2021. The conference will feature 18 technical talks covering 4 different themes, there will also be “lightning” talks that will cover a range of topics, in only 5 minutes, and virtual field tours. Be sure to sign-up for what surely will be an excellent Gussow Conference. Core conference, June 17-18, will again be virtual. This year’s theme is “Breaking Barriers in a Changing World” will bring people together over an integrated virtual platform. This year the planning committee is introducing breakout rooms where people can zoom in and scroll through the core images while conversing with the presenters and fellow participants. Core from outside Alberta and Internationally will be presented, and instead of struggling with the crowds, you can view everything right from your own home or office. The Mountjoy Carbonate Research Conference will be split up into a “virtual sampler” held on August 17-19th, 2021 with a follow-up in-person conference in August 2022 at the Banff Centre. The virtual sampler will examine carbonate strata that form the basis of understanding carbonate

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reservoirs and dolomitization. The Mountjoy Conference is a partnership between the CSPG and SEPM that brings together some of the top carbonate researchers from around the world working in Academia, Industry and Government Agencies to share ideas and examine a wide range of topics related to carbonate systems. A new conference being added to the CSPG Calendar in 2021 will focus on New Energies. This conference will be held virtually in November 2021 with the aim to bring together geoscientists who are developing alternative energies and resources. The themes to be explored in this year’s conference will be Geothermal, Lithium and Hydrogen. There will be discussions relating to the current state and future directions as well as presentations on data sourcing and management. This conference is planned to be offered biennially to engage and grow our community of geoscientists working with these emerging industries and technologies. Gussow 2022 will take place in March 2022 and planning is underway. The theme for this conference will focus on the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus. This may be a foreign topic to most, however, it is becoming increasingly recognized that a growing and developing global population will place immense pressure on freshwater resources to meet ever increasing food and energy demands. It is, however, the quality, availability and competition for water that will be crucial in meeting these needs. Discussions relating to the FEW Nexus are highly integrated to better understand the current state with the goal of developing strategies to create more resilient water, energy and food security systems. This will be an exciting conference that will bring together a wide range of geoscientists and scientists from academia, industry and government to explore this emerging international topic. Follow the CSPG website for more information as it becomes available. 2021 is shaping up to be another year of uncertainty, however, the CSPG has been working hard to bring virtual conferences to our membership that are progressive and supportive of a changing world. As we move into 2022 we hope to return to in-person conferences and we look forward to welcoming you back. n

Chad Glemser

The Stanley Slipper Gold Medal is amongst the highest honours awarded by the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. The medal is presented annually for outstanding contributions to petroleum exploration and development either in Canada or by Canadian-based petroleum geologists working internationally. The contributions of the winner of this award may encompass one or more activities including initiating and/or leading exploration or development programs, making significant discoveries on new or existing exploration trends, applying new technologies to exploration and exploitation, and teaching and/or training of petroleum geologists. In contrast to other C.S.P.G. awards, the Stanley Slipper Gold Medal Award recognizes, in part, accomplishments in business and in the broader petroleum industry through the application of the knowledge of petroleum geology. The award is limited to individuals. Candidates must be alive at the time of their selection. The winner must be a petroleum geologist and a C.S.P.G. member.

The recipient of the Stanley Slipper Medal for 2020 is Dean E. G. Potter. Well known in the Saskatchewan oil and gas industry, Dean has distinguished himself over 40 years with his prolific prospect generation and new pool discoveries in the mature basins in western Canada and the United States. During his career, Dean demonstrated a high level of entrepreneurship, having founded several successful exploration companies. Since 1980, he has excelled at combining a passion for learning all aspects of oil and gas exploration and business development while always maintaining his roots in a passion for looking at rocks. Dean’s work on depositional and diagenetic models for the Ordovician Red River dolomite play opened a new chapter of exploration in Saskatchewan. He also led the application of frac technology to exploit conventional Midale reservoirs in horizontal wells in Saskatchewan. Today, Dean is rewriting the sequence stratigraphic geology of the Frobisher/Alida formations in the Canadian and U.S. portions of the Williston Basin, and applying his expertise on the impact of dissolution of the Prairie Evaporite Formation on hydrocarbon trapping.

2020 CSPG Award Recipient

2020 STANLEY SLIPPER GOLD MEDAL AWARD

Dean E. G. Potter

Dean was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1953 and grew up on a farm just outside Regina. During his studies at the University of Regina for a B.Sc. (Honours) in Geology (1976) and a M.Sc. in Geology (1981), Dean spent seven summer field seasons in northern Saskatchewan, developing his exceptional observational skills while mapping for base metal mineral deposits. He credits the geologists at the University of Regina and the Saskatchewan Department of Mineral Resources for providing excellent mentorship and stoking the fires of his geological knowledge. The mining industry was struggling in the late 1970s while western Canadian oil and gas industry opportunities were abundant. Dean realized that he should consider petroleum career options even though “I just could not imagine being an office geologist.” Although his university studies had involved structural-metamorphic terranes and economic geology, Dean did recall that his one petroleum geology course taught by Dr. Lawrence Vigrass had included mapping oil pools in Saskatchewan, and those studies had piqued his interest. In 1980, Dean made the transition to oil and gas exploration by joining Saskoil (Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Corp.) and began familiarizing himself with plays in the Midale, Frobisher, Birdbear and Red River formations in the Williston Basin of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. He yearned to be in the field during the summers until, one day, “the light went on”. Dean was caught in the excitement of the booming petroleum business and was hooked on finding new discoveries in oil and gas.

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Through all of Dean’s career, his passion for looking at the core and conceptualizing geological models has been a big part of his success, as well as an inspiration for the staff he managed.

Dean immersed himself in researching all aspects of sedimentary geology and made a concerted effort to dive into the literature about Williston Basin pools in the U.S. and Canada. Dean remembers, “My library of papers that I read and studied grew exponentially and soon my employer let me wander across the border to see what the grass was like on the other side of the fence. From that point onwards, I saw the basin as one geological feature with a small inconvenience of an international border. Soon I was pulling North Dakota play concepts into Canada and vice versa into the U.S.” Dean recalls making new discoveries later in Saskatchewan by using a characteristic isopach map that had been defined for reservoir mapping in Montana. Through conferences and industry meetings, he engaged in discussions with colleagues about the stratigraphy, play concepts and exploration that would build the solid foundation for his understanding of the petroleum potential of the Williston Basin. Keith Schneberger, a fellow Saskoil geologist and later a co-founder of two of Dean’s startup companies, noted this accomplishment was all the more extraordinary when placed in the context of a “pre- Accumap/ Geoscout” era when well data, logs and basemaps were not accessible with the click of a mouse. Dean joined PreCambrian Shield Resources in Calgary in 1985 to see if he could put his ideas to work and explore for new pools in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Although low oil prices and the National Energy Program (NEP) had depressed the oil and gas industry, Dean compiled a prospect inventory that he was eventually able to start to drill. Keith recalls: “Dean used the Raymond Field in Montana as an analogue, which greatly assisted in developing the discovery of the Ordovician Minton Field and the Winnipegosis/Red River regional plays. Dean drilled several additional oil producers within this field and continued Red River exploration to the north of Minton.” Dean is also proud of his unique depositional and diagenetic model for the Mississippian Sherwood Formation, which led to the discovery of additional Sherwood area pools in what was considered a mature play. PreCambrian became Mark Resources and Dean reflects back on this time of his career as his foundation for learning to become a business leader. Dean’s work was recognized in 1991 by the industry when he was named Saskatchewan Oilman of the Year for the Minton oil discovery. Steve Halabura, a Saskatchewan consulting geologist, spoke about the importance of Dean’s contribution to the oil and gas industry in Saskatchewan: “This discovery reinvigorated the oilpatch’s interest in deep target exploration in southeastern Saskatchewan, resulting in millions of dollars flowing into Saskatchewan through further Ordovician exploration and discoveries, especially during the Red River boom of the 1990s.” Dean moved to Upton Resources in 1992 as V.P. Exploration. Dean directed Upton’s growth to over 5000 bopd in the Williston Basin. Keith recalls that Dean “continued to bring U.S. Williston Basin analogues into Canada for many years, [that] included

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core and facies studies for the Mississippian Bakken, Devonian Three Forks and Birdbear formations.” In 1995, together with geologist Eric Strachan, the Gainsborough East Alida Pool was discovered in a mature portion of the Williston Basin. In 1998, Dean formed his own geological consulting company, Sito Geoconsulting Ltd. Poor markets had hit the industry again, so Dean used this time to further his technical studies, and present papers at conferences, core workshops and short courses on Willison Basin geology. Steve Halabura and Dean partnered together in 2000 to give a short course on the Middle Devonian Prairie Salt dissolution and collapse in the Williston Basin. Dean worked with many clients, mapping exploration prospects all over western Canada, U.S. Rockies and particularly in Alberta. His nights were spent working on his proprietary prospects. Dean recognized the benefits of selling his own prospects with an overriding royalty and he formed a royalty company, DPX, that still operates today. His prospects came from both sides of the border, as he expanded his repertoire to include the Bakken, Three Forks and Birdbear plays in North Dakota. Dean further refined his models about the interaction of the movement of basement structures, sequence stratigraphy, paleodepositional trends and diagenesis. In 2005, after a consulting project on the development of the Cretaceous Mubarek Pool, offshore Dubai, Dean was itching to get back to exploration in Saskatchewan. He founded a private start-up, Medora Resources Inc., and as C.E.O., hired a few of the exploration colleagues he had so admired from previous partnerships. Despite the intervening 2008/2009 financial crisis and recession, they were successful at exploring and developing several assets in southeast Saskatchewan. In 2009, Medora Resources was sold to Glamis, which later became Legacy Oil and Gas. Dean immediately founded another private exploration company, Elkhorn Resources Inc., and his role as President and C.E.O. was coupled with his leadership of the exploration program. Elkhorn’s business plan focused on the tight Mississippian Midale play in southeast Saskatchewan, and the application of new frac technology. Cam Taylor, who worked for a partner company, says that Dean drove Elkhorn’s success in the Midale Formation by “his recognition of the complex stratigraphy, the false negatives of wet tight rocks and the potential for hydraulic fracturing” of the horizontal drilling campaign. Elkhorn’s production was over 4000 bopd at the time it was sold to Vermilion Energy Inc. in 2014. In 2015, Dean co-founded a third private company, Burgess Creek Exploration Inc. Under his leadership as Chairman, the company chased Saskatchewan plays, and drilled successful wells in the Midale Bryant Pool. More recently, he took on the role as C.E.O., a position he holds today, in addition to V.P. Exploration.

Mandy Williams, a geologist working at Burgess Creek, says that Dean still is very much a hands-on geologist: “prospect generating, focusing on Mississippian and Devonian targets, while developing new ideas and models on Williston Basin deposition in Alida-Frobisher time and providing mentorship to the geoscience department”. In 2019, Dean was inducted into the Saskatchewan Petroleum Industry Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the petroleum industry. The ceremony was attended by Premiers of both Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as his family and colleagues. Dean’s expertise has been recognized and he has served as Technical Advisor to Camcor Partners and Steel Reef Infrastructure. Dean is also on the Board of Directors of Source Rock Royalties, a privately-held western Canadian oil and gas royalty company. Through all of Dean’s career, his passion for looking at the core and conceptualizing geological models has been a big part of his success, as well as an inspiration for the staff he managed. Many colleagues refer to his countless hours spent at the Regina Subsurface Geological Lab. Kenneth Grubbs, a longtime colleague and geophysicist from Colorado, says that Dean “has been out in front, not only in the way he led his own exploration programs at Mark, Upton, Medora and Burgess Creek, but publicly, sharing his innovative scientific insights with the rest of the exploration profession in Canada.” Dean’s ability to recognize new potential in mature plays and to lead teams of professionals has led to success in every endeavour and company he has started. So many who have worked with Dean, including junior geologists, experienced colleagues and board members, share similar views about Dean’s superb technical leadership and mentorship. Dean says, “The most fulfilling aspect of my career was that in all these successful companies, I was able to indulge myself by

combining management and administrative roles in the business ventures, while generating the exploration plays that made the companies successful.” The Saskatchewan awards given to Dean demonstrate the esteem in which he is held by his business and industry peers. In all aspects of conducting exploration and managing businesses, Dean has shown his ability to learn, to lead multi-disciplinary teams, to create financially successful companies and to rise to the challenge, regardless of market conditions. Dean likes to give a lot of credit his family, his colleagues and his mentors, both technical and business. One particular geologist, Dr. Don Kissling from Colorado, showed Dean the importance of looking at all the facts before drawing conclusions. It’s a skill that Dean feels is very important in finding new prospects and plays. Dean is indebted to Ted Renner who taught him about the oil and gas business while at PreCambrian, and to Clark Crawford who taught Dean the business of selling drilling prospects for royalties at DPX. Glen Schmidt, a board member for both Medora and Elkhorn, points to Dean’s instinctive entrepreneurial drive and business skills, and states that Dean has a gift for building “an internal visualization of the projects… bringing business vision to his technical art.” Dean has advice for the young geologists today. “I recommend they get out of the office, look at the rocks in core and in the field, teach yourself to visualize the subsurface in three dimensions, exercise building an exploration model first, read the wealth of literature offered by talented geoscientists…look at all the facts before arriving at a conclusion. Whatever your passion, never let a day go by working as a petroleum geologist that is not fun”. Dean’s entrepreneurial drive and his lasting impact on the Saskatchewan oil industry through success, hands-on technical innovation and a passion for the rocks make him the deserving recipient of the C.S.P.G.’s Stanley Slipper Gold Medal for 2020.

Award Recipient Interview

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

Regulating the Geoscience Professions:

A series on the Complementary Roles of Regulators, Individual Professionals, Employers, Academia and Government George Eynon, PGeo FGC FEC [Hon] ICD.D Principal, geos - eynon & associates consulting inc Past-President, APEGA (Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta) Associate, University of Calgary School of Public Policy and Haskayne Business School

PART 2 of 4: Public Interest, Social Licence,

Regulation, Ethics and Professionalism As a reminder, while this series speaks to us as geoscientists, the content applies equally to our engineering colleagues. However, in my experience, engineers as a group have a much better understanding of why regulation of their profession is necessary.

What are Regulated or Non-Regulated Occupations? The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) defines these occupations. Non-regulated occupations are professions or trades for which there are no legal requirements or restrictions on practice with regard to licences, certificates, or registration. Provincial and territorial (and sometimes federal) laws control Regulated occupations, and provide for governance by regulatory bodies. About 20 per cent of jobs are in regulated occupations, including both regulated professions (e.g., geoscientists, engineers, nurses, et al.) and skilled trades (e.g., plumbing). There are two types of regulation, exclusive right to practice and reserved title. The law requires you to obtain a certificate, licence, or registration to use the reserved title for the occupation or obtain the exclusive right to practise the occupation. These regulations protect the health and safety of Canadians by ensuring

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that professionals meet the required standards of practice and competency. An exclusive right to practise means a profession whose members are the only ones who can engage in the profession's activities and use the title allowed them by law. The law defines, among other things, the professional activities strictly reserved for the members of each regulatory body. APEGA falls in this category in Alberta, and has equivalents in other jurisdictions across Canada. The reserved title refers to a profession where only members of a regulatory body can make use of specific titles and abbreviations allowed them by law. Individuals who are not members of that regulatory body may practise the occupation, but they may not use any of these titles or allow others to believe (by using a similar title or abbreviation) they are members of a regulatory body. So unless you are a member of APEGA you cannot refer to yourself as a geoscientist or practice geoscience in Alberta.

The Function of Regulatory Agencies For the agencies that regulate professions under legislation, there are two primary functions. The first is overseeing admission to the profession, by issuing a license to those who meet specified educational qualifications and demonstrated competence. The

second is ongoing oversight of the individuals’ practice and conduct’ that means they only admit qualified persons into the profession; then monitor them to make sure they continue to meet the profession’s standards. The Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act (POARA) and the Engineering and Geosciences Professions Act (EGPA) are Government of Alberta Acts that include APEGA. POARA is umbrella legislation that grants title protection and regulationmaking authority to 23 self-governing professional regulatory organizations, but does not include professions, trades and occupations regulated under either the Health Professions Act or the Apprenticeship and Industry Training Act. Our EGP Act, on the other hand, is a different matter. As already noted, unless you are a professional member of APEGA you cannot refer to yourself as a geoscientist or practice geoscience. For qualifying admission to professional bodies in general, there are three different levels: registration, certification, and licensure. Registration is the least involved—simply listed as a member on an organization’s register. Certification is akin to a stamp of approval for meeting pre-determined requirements, commonly associated with a “right to title” and use of a professional designation. My designation as a Certified Petroleum Geologist (CPG) issued by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Division of Professional Affairs is a good example of a “professional” certification. Licensure, however, is one of the most restrictive forms of professional regulation, providing monopoly control over who can practice a profession. Only individuals who meet specific requirements can enter the profession and receive a license to practice that profession and perform certain controlled acts. As Professional Geoscientists in Canada we operate under a licensure system that incorporates registration and certification as a condition of granting the right to practice—and provides assurance to the public that the member is qualified. Regulatory bodies such as APEGA confer both a “right to title” (geoscientist or engineer) and a right to practice; one cannot legally practice as an independent “geoscientist” or “engineer” without the appropriate professional designation (P.Geo. or P.Eng., for example).

As part of its obligation to protect the public, APEGA has the legal right and requirement to restrict the professional practice to licensed individuals and companies, along with the related titles and designations. Only Professional Members and companies (Permit Holders) licensed by APEGA have the right to independently practise in Alberta—this is “reserved” practice. Similarly, only specific categories of Members have the right to use certain titles and designations—reserved titles and reserved designations. If we are not licensed, we cannot use reserved titles or designations in job descriptions or titles, on résumés, or on social media. The public might believe that we have the right to practise engineering or geoscience, which could endanger public safety. However, professional regulation does not stop once we have “PGeo” after our name. It must continue throughout our careers by monitoring the members’ “practice” of geoscience and our continuing professional development (CPD). In my opinion, this has not been rigorous enough to date.

What Do We Mean By Self-Regulation? “Self-regulating professional organizations are non-governmental organizations with the power to create and enforce stand-alone professional regulations and which promote ethics, equality and professionalism. Many self-regulate through enabling legislation and regulation that permit the authority to act independently of government. The legislation and regulation set the mandate, regulatory responsibilities and often organizational requirements, including aspects of governance. Any applicable laws or governmental regulations will apply and be foremost, while those set by the self-regulating professional organizations become supplemental.” McFadyen & Eynon, 2020 These regulatory agencies are responsible for granting professional licences to practise and setting standards that a professional must meet to become a member—their rules are binding on members of the profession. Professional members failing to operate within the regulations and codes of conduct and ethics are subject to investigation by the organization, and the imposition of penalties, including limits to practice.

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Self-regulation is a privilege granted under specific legislation enacted in each jurisdiction, because they trust professionals to set aside self-interest.

In Canada, only individual professionals licensed and registered with a legislated regulatory agency can legally practice geoscience and call themselves Professional Geoscientists (or Geologists, Geophysicists, etc.). Most regulated professions in Canada are self-regulating; through legislation, governments allow an occupational group to regulate the activities of its members. Selfregulation ensures that those most knowledgeable about best practices oversee the standards for measuring competence and professional conduct. Self-regulation is a privilege granted under specific legislation enacted in each jurisdiction, because they trust professionals to set aside self-interest. As a condition of delegating these powers, the professional regulatory agency must operate in and uphold the public interest. Sell-regulation is a privilege that, if not undertaken properly, governments can and do withdraw: witness events in recent years with real estate professionals in British Columbia and professional engineers in Québec. However, self-regulation does not mean, “I regulate myself”, as many geoscientists believe. More appropriately, it means, “the profession regulates itself”. It is a privilege granted by legislation, for us as professionals to regulate ourselves through peer review within a government appointed and defined agency. The most knowledgeable people—those that practice the profession—create the standards for measuring competence and conduct, and adjudge performance, not administrators. As professional Geoscientists we pay for that privilege: the regulatory costs are borne by us as regulated professionals through our professional fees—not by the public as taxpayers.

Council or Board? The professional members of most of these organizations elect the governing boards or councils; and commonly, governments have the right to appoint additional public members. However, I strongly believe that we need to improve the governance and oversight of regulating our professions. Currently most selfregulated geoscience and engineering professional bodies in Canada elect a council to provide those functions. In too many cases the elected professionals have little or no experience with any form of governance and oversight, let alone experience in regulatory oversight. We need to replace our overly-large, elected Councils with smaller, appointed Boards consisting of properly qualified professional members and a high proportion of government-appointed Public members.

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Regulating Corporate Entities In addition to individual professionals, APEGA (like most regulatory agencies) requires any company that engages in the practice of geoscience as part of its business to have a Permit to Practice or equivalent, and is subject to regulation. This includes oil & gas companies, geoscience and engineering firms, geoscience and engineering consulting businesses, and so on. Any professional who practices within such a firm is also required to be a registered professional. They are not covered by—“cannot hide behind”—the employer’s Permit to Practice. These employers cannot ignore APEGA’s requirements for all their practising professional (engineers and) geoscientists to be registered, and their work supervised by a Responsible Member. A Member practising as a sole proprietor does not need a Permit to Practice because the Member’s APEGA licence grants the right to independent practice. A sole proprietor is a business entity owned and run by one person; there is no legal distinction between the individual and the business. However, a sole proprietorship with a registered trade name that includes reference to geoscience (or engineering), such as ABC Geological Consulting, must have a Permit to Practice. British Columbia and Québec are the only jurisdictions in Canada that do not regulate, in some form, engineering and geoscience companies. However, Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (EGBC) is re-examining this issue to determine whether it should seek the authority from its government to regulate corporate practice as a way to enhance public protection.

Next in Part 3… Some of Alberta’s regulatory entities—such as the AER (Alberta Energy Regulator), ASC (Alberta Securities Commission) and OHS (Occupational Health and Safety)— have no ability to determine who operates under their regulatory aegis; they regulate whoever practices within the bounds of their legislation. Some jurisdictions separate the Regulatory role from the Association (advocacy and member services) roles for some professions—in Alberta, the Law Society regulates the professionals, while the Alberta Bar Association is the advocate for Alberta’s lawyers. n

The President’s Award is CSPG’s most prestigious form of volunteer recognition. It is presented for sustained and distinguished service to the society. Recipients are selected by the President at the end of their term. Past winners share the traits of providing exemplary leadership in a variety of roles and capacities that the contributions to society programs and events such that this award often provides a milestone in a distinguished career of exemplary membership. The recipient of the 2020 President’s Award, as chosen by 2020 CSPG President, Jen Russel-Houston, is Shelley Leggitt.

Shelley

Leggitt

was the Chair of the GeoConvention Board in 2020 during a time of great uncertainty as the convention was redesigned to be a virtual meeting during the pandemic. Shelley has been a passionate supporter of the GeoConvention. She believed that the GeoConvention could be a place for experts to share their knowledge with young geoscientists and she was the key force behind the creation of the successful “101” series launched during her tenure on the GeoConvention Board. Many of us benefited from these sessions, not just young geoscientists. Shelley has a long history of volunteering with the CSPG that started in the early 90’s on the thesis committee and was Finance Director of the society in 2017. The 2020 President’s Award recognizes the significant contribution to our society made this year by Shelley in her role as Chair of the GeoConvention Board.

Shelley is currently the VP Geoscience for Velvet Energy. She started her career in Calgary in 1988, working for the AOSTRA funded Petroleum Recovery Institute as a research geologist focused on enhanced oil recovery mechanisms. In 1997 she moved to PanCanadian as a senior development geologist working with integrated teams and co-teaching internal courses on formation damage. The PanCanadian /Encana and follow-up companies, EOG Resources in particular, fostered her interest in leading-edge technologies and the development of unconventional resources. She described the highlights as being involved in the early stages of the development of Horn River and the East Shale Basin of the Duvernay. Shelley is a professional geologist and holds a master’s degree in Geology from McMaster University.

2020 CSPG Award Recipient

2020 PRESIDENT’S AWARD

Shelley says “I’ve always loved mentorship – which began early in my career with the center of excellence program at PanCanadian. At Enerplus I was involved with the development of a G&G training program which spilled over into other opportunities such as the Skills 101 sessions developed with Dr. Brian Zaitlin.” For all that Shelley has dedicated to CSPG and GeoConvention, she is most worthy of this year’s President’s Award.

Award Recipient Interview

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GO TAKE A HIKE - ETHIOPIA, #4

Reefs and Salt Lakes of the Danakil Desert

Philip Benham, Enku Mulugeta, Marina Morozova, and Irina Vakhitova

Trailhead: Danakil Desert can be reached from Mekelle in a day-long drive. A road across the lava-strewn slopes of Erta Ale, under construction by a Chinese crew, will eventually connect Erta Ale and the Dallol geothermal site shortening a day’s drive to perhaps one hour. The sites mentioned in this article are spread apart, require a vehicle but can be seen in a full day.

Distance: Sites mentioned are accessed by short strolls from vehicles (<300 m) with negligible elevation differential. Risks: Risks include extreme heat, rugged and remote terrain, kidnappings, poor road conditions, questionable driving, lack of emergency facilities, rustic conditions, and poor hygiene at campsites. Geat’ale Pond

he remote Danakil Desert is a world of extremes of almost mythical proportions. It has the hottest annual average daily temperature (34.4°C), is one of the lowest elevations (Assale Lake is 155 m below sea-level) in the world, and almost nothing lives there. The white salt plain, reflecting a blinding light (and heat often reaching well over 50°C), is all that is left of a once-extensive arm of the ocean (the Danakil Sea). This sea has dried up, stranding a series of coral reefs, at what used to be sea-

FIGURE 1: Map of the rift valley containing the Danakil Desert in northern Ethiopia. The dotted line marks sea level and is the location of fringing reefs, clearly seen on aerial photos. Erta Ale Volcano is marked with an “E”. Dallol is marked with a “D”. Red arrow marks location of Figure 2. Step-like elevated terrain in the west marks the faulted margin of the East African Rift System. “A” marks Alid Volcano, which - during the Pleistocene - at least temporarily blocked marine access via the Red Sea, resulting in the present desiccated state. Image from Atnafu et al., 2015; source: ASTER GDEM ©METI and NASA Landsat 7 and Landsat ETM+). FIGURE 2: Google Earth view of Lake Afrera, the salt-drying ponds, and a small volcanic cone from a subaqueous eruption. The lake is at the southern end of the former Danakil Sea. It is located along a transform fault that offsets the Erta Ale Shield from the Tat Ale Volcano to the south. The lake sits about 112 m below sea level and its salinity is 13.6%. Its low pH and Na-Ca-Mg ratio suggest that the water is more from hydrothermal springs than from evaporation of a branch of the Red Sea (Bonatti et al., 2017). The lake has an endemic fish population with low diversity.

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emits enough CO2 to be an asphyxiation risk for small animals. In November 2020, Mekelle became the centre of conflict in a civil war…check reputable sources before travelling. We suggest visiting this challenging region with responsible tour company such as VolcanoDiscovery when conditions warrant.

level, like a ring of dirt on a drained bathtub (Figure 1). In spite of the bleakness, the story of Danakil is one of creation, as it resides on the northwestern arm of the Afar triple-rift junction where oceanic crust is being formed within the north end of the continentspanning East African Rift Valley. Eventually the ocean will return permanently, finding its way past the blockage by the Pleistocene Alid Volcano in the north.

FIGURE 3: Geological map of the southern Danakil Desert from the Dallol halo-volcanic geothermal complex in the north, to Bakili Lake, abutting the chain of volcanoes that comprise the Erta Ale Shield in the south. The east-to-west cross-section is displayed through Dallol where a sill generates hydrothermal activity in Dallol and on the surrounding salt plain. The pre-desiccation coral reefs (Zariga Formation) rim the basin at an elevation within a few metres of present-day sea level. The salts rest on the Upper Jurassic Antalo Limestone which are regionally both a reservoir and a hydrocarbon source rock. The NNW-SSEtrending faults on the surface are active today and are commonly conduits for hot geothermal fluids. Dots represent locations of photos in this article. The vertical bar of the cross-section is in m ASL. The red solid line is the approximate position of the seismic line in Figure 22. Figure adapted from Lopez-Garcia et al., 2020. FIGURE 4: Close-up of a mid- to late Pleistocene reef containing densely packed robust metre-size brain corals (yellow arrows) and diverse subordinate fauna. Dashed blue line marks a boundary with an upper bed containing more isolated large corals and abundant algal overgrowths. FIGURE 5: Stromatolitic growth from an upper bed in the reef. Block is about 25 cm across.

The fossil reefs that fringe the rift valley reflect the marine conditions before the Danakil Sea began to evaporate. These marooned reefs display healthy, diverse fauna with large coral heads indicating open marine conditions (Figures 4-7). Corals generally grow within 3.2-4.0% marine salinity. Their biochemical processes are more thermotolerant at higher salinity (such as in the modern-day Red Sea). However these corals show weathering and karst fissuring, followed by coatings of algal growths as the increasing salinity and exposure gradually killed off the reefs. As the water level fell, aragonitic, pseudostromatolitic fibrous crusts coated the hard substrates on the seafloor. These fibrous crusts – accompanied by euryhaline mussels, gastropods, and serpulids – formed in association with Mg-silicate spherulites, encrusted the hard substrates on the sea floor in water up to 80 m below present-day sea level. Increasing salinity (three to seven times normal marine conditions) triggered a switch to precipitation of bladed gypsum crystals on the basin flanks below the reef crest, and eventually to the deposition of halite as drawdown continued (Lange and Krijgsman, 2010).

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FIGURE 6: The coral reefs of the Danakil Sea (Zariga Fm.) rim the basin at an elevation within a few metres of present day sea level suggesting only a small amount of tectonic uplift since their abandonment. In this view the reef platform and slope (outlined by dashed line) are still clearly visible. The lower slope is overlain by gypsum (pale buff in the photo). The dark and rugged strata in the background clearly show the faulted and rotated blocks of the rift valley wall with fairly steep west dips (red dashed line) of the bedding. Image adapted from Atnafu et al., 2015. FIGURE 7: Well-preserved coral from the ‘lower’ reef bed.

FIGURE 8: Schematic diagram of water salinity and key stages in the Danakil Basin during progressive evaporation. The blue bar represents the water column fill within the basin. The succession from” A-F” represents an idealized single cycle, but the actual basin history is much more complex. A. Normal salinity seawater (global average is 3.5% total dissolved salt, or TDS) supports healthy coral and red algae communities (coral’s upper salinity limit is about 4%) B. The salinity limit for normal stromatolite growth (such as at Shark Bay in Australia) is about 7% TDS and is reached as the restricted basin approaches ~50% evaporation, but during this time there is transition to… C. Hybrid, microbially-mediated and abiotic precipitated micro-digitate, columnar and laminated semi-stromatolitic crusts along with Mg-silicate spherulites forming as salinity increases with the water dropping to 80m below sea level in the basin. (Jaramillo‐Vogel et al, 2018). D. Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) then begins to precipitate in the basin around 12% salinity (70% evaporation of water body). E. Halite (NaCl) starts to precipitate around 35% salinity (90% evaporation). F. Finally, before complete desiccation – KCl (potash) and Mg salts (such as bischofite - MgCl2·6H2O) precipitate once 98% of the water column has evaporated.

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The Danakil Basin is essentially a half-graben, with greatest down throw on the west side of the rift valley (Figure 3). During the Miocene, perhaps 2 km of salt accumulated in the Danakil Basin through repeated evaporative cycles (Hovland et al., 2008). An additional 2 km of pure, bedded halite, potash (sylvite), and minor marls and shale have accumulated in the basin during the Quaternary. This latter package consists of three distinct units. The Lower Rock Salt Formation (comprised of bedded halite with minor gypsum rinds) is a subaqueous, restricted marine deposit demonstrating the effects of increasing salinity by its gradational contact with the overlying Houston Formation (Figure 13). This middle interval is a 10 to 40 m-thick package of potash (KCl) and other evaporite minerals (kainite, carnallite, halite and anhydrite) and represents the last gasp of the early ocean connection (Warren, 2016). Marine fossils in the Houston Fm. date to the middle or late Quaternary, which led Hovland et al. (2008) to proclaim this to be the youngest large salt accumulation in the world. The decline of the Danakil Sea took perhaps less than 10,000 years, after which a third unit (the Upper Rock Salt Formation) of nearly 1 km was deposited in a salt pan environment as interbedded halite, and red and grey silts and clays (Figures 10, 11). The last remnants of the sea today are salt lakes that are incredible saline (e.g. Afrera (13%), Assale (30%) and Bakili lakes). A single evaporative event is not enough to account for all the salt - if one were to take a 100 m column of the Red Sea water (4% salinity) and evaporate it, all that would remain are approximately 4 m of mineral salts. Given the final closure of the Danakil Sea occurred about 104-120 Ka (Bastow et al., 2017; Warren, 2016), this would argue for multiple flooding and desiccation cycles or steady marine seepage that was eventually exceeded by evaporative drawdown. An alternative theor y (not yet widely accepted) includes processes of hydrothermal mediation of brines, perhaps due to crust serpentinization, that could allow for major additional mineral salt deposition within the restricted Danakil Sea (Hovland et al., 2006; Debure et al., 2019). Such processes may be represented on a smaller scale in the hot springs in Afrera Lake and in Geat’ale Pond (aka Oily Lake and Yellow Lake), which

FIGURE 9: On the salt plains, approaching the dark low dome of Dallol in the distance, which rises 80 m above the flats to an elevation of 48 m below sea level. FIGURE 10: The dissected salt canyons on the west side of Dallol, exposing a 10-20 m section of the Upper Rock Salt Fm.

for the record are the most saline water bodies in the world at a whopping 43.3% or 12 times the salinity of the ocean (Perez and Chebude, 2017). Geat’ale is a 60 m-diameter hypersaline, acidic (pH=2) lake that appeared in 2005 after an ear thquake reactivated a spring along a fault line and created a solution doline. The 55°C water contains CaCl2, MgCl2·6H2O (bischofite) and enough iron to give it a yellow colour. Constantly bubbling springs in the lake emit C02 in sufficient quantities to periodically kill insects and birds attracted to this body of water. Pink and white mineral salts soon encrust their bodies, or anything else left near the lake. Their water is oily to the touch, likely from the high salinity, but a sheen on the surface may also indicate the presence of hydrocarbons. In the present day, periodic rainstorms, or even strong winds blowing across the lakes, bring sheet-floods of water, carr ying reddish muds, and organic debris out across the salt plain where they temporarily (and often dramatically) expand the area of the lakes. The upper layers of salt dissolve and re-precipitate, mimicking the grand geological cycle

FIGURE 11: Close-up bands of halite and reddish clays in the Upper Rock Salt Fm. showing the flood/evaporation cycle in the salt pan. Rain-scalloped shapes of salt karst are also visible. FIGURE 12: The dynamic shoreline of Assale Lake has little degassing pits and springs forming along tectonic and diagenetic/ evaporative fracture systems. This 4 cm-wide pit is actively bubbling O2 and CO2. FIGURE 13: “50 shades” of white are displayed in the mineral salt facies encountered in cores from Danakil Basin. The Lower Rock Salt Fm. is composed primarily of halite laminated with thin rinds of gypsum. The much thinner Houston Fm. signals the terminal marine system with deposition of massive and banded K and Mg salts. The Upper Rock Salt Fm. consists of bands of halite and clay with thicker zones of bischofite and halite. (Warren, 2016; Bastow et al., 2018)

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FIGURE 14, 15. The vigorously bubbling springs at Geat’ale Lake emit highly saline, Mg-rich waters and abundant CO2. Halite and Mg salts form temporary flow, pillow and pearl and delicate crystal array structures (Figure 15) before being recycled into the system. FIGURES 16, 17, 18: Large salt blocks are cut by Afar tribesman with adzes, pried out and reduced to bricks (amoles) before being taken on a week-long journey to market by camel train. The value of salt is such that it is considered legal tender in the Afar region, and in the markets in the highlands a brick might sell for $0.50 USD. Each camel carries one package of about 20 amoles, weighing about 120-150 kg. Thus a train of 10 camels would yield a harvest of $100 USD.

with a seasonal one. Although the blinding white, broad salt plain is incredibly flat, leading to one spot being whimsically called the skating rink, it is not featureless. Chemical re-arrangement of the salts during desiccation cycles leads to expansion and formation of polygons 1-2 m in diameter (Figures 18, 19). The layers on the edges of the polygons prop up each other forming triangular shapes in cross-section (known as a teepee structure). Elsewhere narrow factures and strings of small springs or ponds run along active fault systems. Small mounds and ponds appear here and there, the result of tectonically-driven salt mobilization in the former and hydrothermal outbursts (maars) in the latter. Nearer the margins of the large lakes the ground loses its polygonal patterns, becomes whiter and is mantled with shallow ridges of salt. Fractures lined with finger-size pits bubble away with O2 and CO2. Salt extraction is ancient business and hard work in 50°C temperatures. The Afar people have likely extracted the salt in choice locations in the Danakil Deser t for thousands of years and the methods are little changed in that time. Using an adze, a block of layered salt and mud is trenched and then popped out using branches as levers. Each block is then reduced to salt bricks which make a journey by camel train of up to a week to get to market. Encroaching highways and more advanced methods including salt ponds, industrial processing facilities and a proposed potash mine (by Danakili Ltd.) threaten this ancient tradition but for now the old ways persist. n

FIGURE 19: Salt polygons, varying in diameter from 60 cm to 150 cm in this location. Unlike the mud cracks, these form due to expansion related to brine movement (Figure 20). The propped-up edges form salt ridges with a triangular section (teepee structure) up to 20 cm high. FIGURE 20: Evaporation on the surface generates dense brine that creates a convection cell with fluid migration out from centre of the polygon and then sinking down at the location of the ridges (Lasser et al., 2019).

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FIGURE 21: Salt tectonism, perhaps boosted by hydrothermal forces, built this 4 m high salt breccia dome (also visible in Figure 17). The breccia (from the Upper Rock Salt Fm.) contains twisted angular blocks of salt often 1 m or more in size (yellow arrows), with a matrix of salt granules and reddish brown muds and silts.

FIGURE 22: Roughly west-east-oriented seismic line across the rift basin. Its position is shown as a red line in Figure 3. The western end is marked by steeply-dipping strike-slip faults displaying extensional features in the form of “negative flower” structures. The major fault in the centre of the line shows major down-throw on its eastern side (marked by the large offset of strata across it). The Upper Rock Salt, Houston and Lower Rock Salt formations are correlated in a series of cored wells and tied to other lines of seismic which can be seen in the source paper (Bastow et al., 2018).

Rift-valleys, salt basins and hydrocarbons This desolate rift valley, punctuated by volcanoes and filled with salt, seems like the last place on Ear th for oil and gas to occur, and yet, next to continental passive margins, rift settings are the most common place to find large oil and gas fields. The reason for this is conducive stratal and structural configurations, often aided by the presence of salt. As salt is both an effective seal and also mobile, it has a major role in the trapping of hydrocarbons and in the structural evolution in the worlds large evaporitecontaining petroleum basins. Examples include the Argo Salt (Offshore East Coast of Canada), the Louann Salt (Gulf Coast in the U.S.), and even beneath salt (offshore Brazil, the Tengiz Field in Kazakhstan and the Prairie Evaporite in Western Canada). For large accumulations of hydrocarbons to form, the following “ingredients” must occur: presence of a source rock, sufficient burial time and temperature, presence of a migration path, reser voir, seal and trap. Let’s review these in order for the rift valley in the Danakil region. Organic-rich source rocks such

as the Upper Jurassic Antalo Limestone (a regional source rock) occur within the thick package of pre-rift Mesozoic strata. There is also typically syn-rift accumulation of oil-rich shales within restricted lakes in the East African Rift System (EARS), which we might expect here. Rapid burial of sediment is also typical of a rift valley, preser ving this organic matter and bur ying it deeply enough for the geothermal gradient to do its work. A source rock needs to reach at least 60°C to star t generating oil, while peak generation occurs around 100°C. A normal continental geothermal gradient is about 25°C/km, but here in the rift zone the average is >55° C/km and reaches 77° C/ km in places (Mitchell et al., 1992) and so maturation can be achieved at a shallower depth. Indeed it is quite possible that the deep source rocks can be overcooked and may provide only methane gas. This is perhaps the greatest risk to economic accumulations in the Afar Region. The active rift basin also provides numerous fault paths up which hydrocarbons can migrate. Reser voir potential is not an issue with the presence of both pre-

rift and syn-rift sediments, although the above-average temperatures and geothermal fluids may cement much of the original porosity in the deeper strata. The salt forms a perfectly adequate seal and various folds and faults provide numerous oppor tunities to trap hydrocarbons (Figure 22). Ethiopia is an under-explored region for hydrocarbons, but there have been successes. In 2018, the Chinese company POLY-GCL began to produce gas from the 76.5 bcm Calub gas field in the nearby Ogaden Basin. Oil seeps are repor ted in several places in the Afar Triangle and isolated “microcontinent” rift blocks like the Danakil Alps, just to the east of the salt plains, may have avoided being overcooked. Whatever the potential, Ethiopia faces a choice between protecting its natural heritage and achieving its economic aspirations, be it oil and gas, industrial mining of the salts (the Danakili Colluli Project), construction of the Nile Dam, or the launch of solar energy projects the government announced in 2019. n

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FIGURE 23: Most of Afrera Lake is very shallow with an indistinct shoreline. The lake area expands rapidly with seasonal rains but the shoreline also moves daily with the prevailing winds as a few centimeters uplift in the water level can push a great distance across the flat salt pan.

REFERENCES Atnafu, B., Kidane, T., Foubert, A., JaramilloVogel, D., Schaegis, J. C., and Henriet, J. P., 2015; Reading History from Afar; https://eos. org/science-updates/reading-history-afar. Barberi, F. and Varet, J., 1977; Volcanism of Afar - small-scale plate tectonics; Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 88, no. 9, p. 1251-1266. Bastow, I., Booth, A., Corti, G., Keir, D., Magee, C., Jackson, CA-L., Warren, J., Wilkinson, J., and Lascialfari, M., 2018; The development of late-stage continental breakup: Seismic reflection and borehole evidence from the Danakil Depression, Ethiopia; Tectonics. v. 37, p. 2848-2862; DOI 10.1029/2017TC004798. Beyene, A. and Abdelsalam, M., 2005; Tectonics of the Afar Depression: A review and synthesis; Journal of African Earth Sciences, v. 41, p. 41-59. Bonatti, E., Gasperini, E., Vigliotti, L., Lupi, L., Vaselli, O., Polonia, A., and Gasperini, L., 2017; Lake Afrera, a structural depression in the Northern Afar Rift (Red Sea); Heliyon, v. 3, no. 5. e00301; DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017. e00301. Cieśluk, K., Karasiewicz, T., Preisner, Z., 2014; Geotouristic attractions of the Danakil Depression; Geotourism, v. 1. no. 36, p. 33-42; https://doi.org/10.7494/ geotour.2014.36.33. de Lange, G., and Krijgsman, W., 2010; A unifying mechanism for shallow gypsum and deep dolomite Fm. during the Messinian Salinity Crisis;Marine Geology, v. 275, p. 273277; DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2010.05.003.

Debure, M., Lassin, A., Marty, N. C., Claret, F., Virgone, A., Calassou, S., and Gaucher, E. C., 2019; Thermodynamic evidence of giant salt deposit Fm. by serpentinization: an alternative mechanism to solar evaporation; Scientific Reports, v. 9, no. 1; https://doi. org/10.1038/s41598-019-48138-9 Getahun, A., 2001; Lake Afdera: a threatened saline lake in Ethiopia; SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science, v. 24, no. 1, p. 127-131; DOI: 10.4314/sinet.v24i1.18180. Hovland, M., Rueslaatten, H., and Johnsen, H., 2008; Hydrothermal salt—but how much?: Reply to Christopher Talbot on his comments to our articles; Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 25. p. 203-204; DOI: 10.1016/j. marpetgeo.2007.05.006. Hovland, M., Kuznetsova T., Rueslatten H., Kvamme B., Johnsen H. K., Fladmark G. E., and Hebach A., 2006; Sub-surface precipitation of salts in supercritical seawater; Basin Research, v. 18, no. 2, p. 221-230; DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2117.2006.00290.x. Jaramillo‐Vogel, D., Foubert, A., Braga, J., Schaegis, J. C., Atnafu, B., Grobety, B., and Kidane, T., 2018; Pleistocene sea‐floor fibrous crusts and spherulites in the Danakil Depression (Afar, Ethiopia); Sedimentology, v. 66, no. 2, p. 480-512; DOI: 10.1111/ sed.12484. Lasser, J., Nield, J., Ernst, M., Karius, V., Goehring, L. 2019; Salt Polygons are Caused by Convection; https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/331034186.

Master, S. 2016; Gaet'ale - a reactivated thermal spring and potential tourist hazard in the Asale salt flats, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia; Journal of Applied Volcanology, v. 5, no. 1, p. 1-9; DOI: 10.1186/s13617-0150042-x. Mitchell, D. J. W., Allen, R. B., Salama, W., Abouxkm, A., 1992; Tectonostratigraphic framework and hydrocarbon potential of the Red Sea; Journal of Petroleum Geology. v. 15, no. 3, p. 187-210; DOI: 10.1111/j.17475457.1992.tb00962.x. Varet, J., 2018; Geology of Afar (East Africa); Springer International Publishing, 336 p.; DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-60865-5. Williams, Francis M., 2016; Understanding Ethiopia; Geoguide Series. Springer International Publishing, 343 p. López-García, J. M., Moreira, D., Benzerara, K., Grunewald, O., López-García, P., 2020; Origin and evolution of the halo-volcanic complex of Dallol: Proto-volcanism in northern Afar (Ethiopia); Frontiers in Earth Science, v.7, p. 351; DOI: 10.3389/feart.2019.00351. Perez Villa, E., and Chebude, Y., 2017; Chemical Analysis of Gaet’ale, a hypersaline pond in Danakil Depression (Ethiopia): New record for the most saline water body on earth; Aquatic Geochemistry, v. 23, no. 2, p. 109-117; DOI:10.1007/s10498-017-9312-z. Warren, J. K., 2016; Evaporites, a geological compendium; Springer International; DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_100-1.

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Go Take A Hike is a compendium of 83 hikes in beautiful natural areas around Alberta and Eastern BC with a focus on the geological story of the outcrops and natural processes that are encountered along the way.

Copies are available for sale through the CSPG office.

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APRIL TECHNICAL WEBINAR

Origin and formation mechanism of H2S in the Montney Formation – tale of a complex diagenetic process Presenter: Omid H. Ardakani, Andrew Kingston, Jaime Cesar April 21, 2021 | 12:00am-1:00pm MST Technical Webinar (GoToWebinar)

ydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a highly toxic and corrosive gas that generally forms from the interaction of organic matter (e.g., hydrocarbon) and sulfate-rich fluids (e.g., formation water) through microbial and/or thermochemical sulfate reduction (MSR/TSR) within hydrocarbon reservoirs. The Early Triassic Montney Formation is a prolific unconventional siltstone tight gas play in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) with highly variable H2S concentrations both regionally and stratigraphically. High concentrations of H2S in gas-producing wells from the Montney Formation. in western Alberta and northeast British Columbia have raised concern over worker safety, negative economic impacts of extraction and processing of the natural gas, and its adverse environmental impacts. Previous studies on the origin and formation mechanisms of H2S in the Montney Formation. overlooked major diagenetic and water-rock interaction processes leading to H2S generation. In addition to H2S generation by geological processes, the effect of injecting sulfate-rich hydraulic fracturing fluids and their possible role in microbial sulfate reduction on H2S generation in the Montney Formation. is poorly understood. To address the knowledge gaps in these areas a collaboration between the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) and University of Calgary was initiated in 2016 and is currently investigating the regional distribution of H2S and the major diagenetic processes involved in H2S generation. Promising results of an initial study1 led to funding of an expanded research program by Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Office of Energy Research and Development (2019 – 2022). The goals of this project are to further investigate major diagenetic, stratigraphic, and structural controls as well as the role that hydraulic fracturing activities have on the distribution and generation of H2S in the Montney Formation. This project is part of NRCan Geoscience for New Energy Supply (GNES) program. In our talk, we will provide and overview of the existing research on this issue; identify the major knowledge gaps related to our understanding of diagenetic processes involved in H2S generation. We will also provide the initial results of our study on the generation and distribution (including major subsurface structures) of H2S within the Montney Formation. 1 Liseroudi, M.H., Ardakani, O.H., Sanei, H., Pedersen, P.K., Stern, R., Wood, J.M. Origin of sulfate-rich fluids in the Lower Triassic Montney Formation, Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. Marine and Petroleum Geology 114, 104236

BIOGRAPHIES

ABSTRACT

Omid H. Ardakani is a research scientist with GSC Calgary office. He studied geology at the University of Tehran in Tehran, Iran, where he obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in geology and sedimentology in 1993 and 1997, respectively. He started his Ph.D. at the University of Windsor in 2007. He received his Ph.D. in earth sciences from the University of Windsor in 2012. He started his tenure at the GSC, as a postdoctoral fellow in the Calgary office, and as of June 2016, he has been promoted to Research Scientist. Andrew Kingston is a postdoctoral research scientist at GSC Calgary office. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from McMaster University where his research was focused on the stable isotope geochemistry of biogenic carbonates. He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where he used stable isotope geochemistry of carbonates to investigate Quaternary paleoclimate records from lake sediments. Following this Andrew worked in stable isotope labs at the University of Calgary and the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric research in New Zealand before joining the GSC in 2019. He studies the subsurface sulfur cycle using a variety of geochemical techniques to understand the processes responsible for H2S formation and distribution. Jaime Cesar is a postdoctoral research scientist at the GSC Calgary office since March 2020. In 2012, Jaime obtained his B.Sc. in Geochemistry from the Central University of Venezuela, and received his Ph.D. in 2018 from Curtin University, Australia, in the area of organic and isotope geochemistry. Jaime joined the Applied Geochemistry Group of the University of Calgary in 2019 for a postdoctoral project on isotope geochemistry of produced fluids from lowpermeability reservoirs in Western Canada.

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The Blue View: Industry Trends Through Woodmac's Lens NORTH AMERICA IN CONTEXT: OVERARCHING THEMES ACROSS THE INDUSTRY With newly elected US President Joe Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL project in his first days in office, the project is now finally put to rest after 12 years. We think there are three main impacts on Canadian energy: expect US$2.42/ 1. Webbl now downward impact to WCS netbacks starting in 2023 through to 2030.

at Keystone, 2. Expansions Line 3 and TransMountain Expansion are still presumed to proceed.

CANADIAN CRUDE-BY-RAIL EXPORTS TO US (PROPRIETARY WOOD MACKENZIE RAIL DATA INCLUDED)

we head into 2030 and beyond, we expect a 3. As“return of rail”. This will apply additional downward

pressure to netbacks in the range of US$3/bbl to US$4/bbl. Before the pandemic hit in 2020, we saw crude-by-rail exports hit a record of 412,000 b/d.

In addition to cancelling KXL, the new Biden administration also put in place a moratorium on new permits on federal leases. Most large operators spent the last four years generating a permit inventory. A permitting ban is unlikely to slow the US onshore tight oil industry now that the rig count is growing again. Instead look to the effects of potential federal policy changes on the offshore Gulf of Mexico. Our internal analysis shows that preventing new exploration leasing offshore would reduce cumulative production in the region by 9.5 billion boe. The impact grows exponentially over time so what seems mild today will be material tomorrow. For US GoM, it’s a 7% production reduction by 2030 – but over 30% by 2035. Executive orders have given the federal government time to investigate potential changes to leasing plans and royalty rates. We’ll be watching closely any changes here as adverse impacts on GoM’s future supply outlook may pivot investment to nonfederal lands in the US or, indeed, to jurisdictions like Canada.

WHAT’S BEING DRILLED AND WHERE n Montney and Deep Basin pulling Canada out of

the rig count doldrums

Of all the North American gas-rich sub-plays that break even under US$2.00/mcf (15% discount rate), 44% of them are in the Montney and the Deep Basin. Unsurprisingly, the Montney and the Deep Basin also represent an overwhelming majority of the rig increases since the lows of the summer. While still well below previous activity rates, gassier plays are recovering more quickly and being highlighted in 2021 guidance thus far.

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CANADA TOTAL RIG COUNT

n A Texas story: 67% of the U.S. rigs are in the

L48 RIG COUNT

Permian and Eagle Ford

The Lower 48 has added, on average, five rigs a week since August, leading to a total increase of 139 rigs. Sixty-nine (50%) of these rigs were added back in the Permian basin (Midland and Delaware on the chart below), which is unsurprising given that our most recent type curve updates show that the Delaware breakevens are now sub-US$35/bbl (10% discount rate) across most of the play.

OIL SANDS n Cenovus and Husky merge

Canadian heavyweights Cenovus and Husky announced a Cdn$3.8 billion all-share merger. Including debt, Husky’s total enterprise value is Cdn$10.2 billion. The expanded Cenovus has an enterprise value of Cdn$23.6 billion. Neither company was considered distressed or in need of M&A in our models. Instead, this seems an example of two companies strategically picking their dance partners as another consolidation wave approaches. In our view, Husky’s downstream assets help to further integrate Cenovus with six refineries in advantaged markets. Additionally, Cenovus claims there will be Cdn$1.2 billion in annual synergies. The combination will likely delay the stalled supply growth plans at

Foster Creek Phase H and West White Rose as debt reduction takes immediate priority over growth. Cenovus was already Canada’s thirdlargest producer and now sits 50th globally (19th excluding national oil companies). n Oil sands production hits records

In-situ oil sands have surpassed 1,500,000 b/d and exited 2020 buoyed by a price recovery and realized operational improvements. Curtailment has ended and storage volumes in Canada, based on Wood Mackenzie data, entered 2021 over 10 mmbbls lower than in 2020. Our latest tracking shows crude in storage climbing once again.

WESTERN CANADA n The issue with issuance

Cdn$850 million of new debt has been secured since 2021 started. Tourmaline acquired Cdn$250 million of 2.077% senior notes due January 2028 (with investment grade rating of BBB). MEG Energy announced US$600 million (Cdn$768 million) of 5.875% notes due 2029 (with a much lower B3 non-investment grade rating). Availability of capital is a hot topic in the energy industry, with a growing divergence between the “haves” and the “have-nots”. Tourmaline is raising funds below the Bank of Canada prime rate (2.45%). MEG, although reducing its interest rate and pushing the maturity out five years, is still borrowing 5% higher than Tourmaline. For smaller Canadian operators, this divide is bigger – if capital is even available.

Tourmaline has built respect for its business, improved its investment rating throughout 2020 and remained active in the M&A market. The company is now borrowing at similar rates to prolific Permian operator Pioneer and continues to build its case as a world-class operator. Debt markets seem to agree. n Montney still a favourite

The Montney has been the hot play in Canada for several years, and now some L48 operators are joining the party. ConocoPhillips expanded its foothold in the Montney through the purchase of Kelt’s Inga position while Murphy Oil has shifted gears to focus efforts in Canada on its Tupper Montney development.

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NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR APPROVED PROJECT LEASE LOCATIONS n Other Canada: Atlantic exploration

Early this year, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada approved three offshore East Coast drilling projects from BHP, Equinor and Chevron. Between BHP and Chevron alone, up to 28 wells could be drilled. Chevron’s initial project summary lists one well proposed for 2021 pending regulatory approval. Equinor’s project is in the Flemish Pass, located to the southwest of the company’s 2020 drills and Bay du Nord discovery. But plans now seem to be more conservative with drilling for most pushed back into 2023. Exploration activity should ramp up as leasing terms near their initial expiry dates in the mid- to late 2020s. Only one exploration well, CNOOC’s Pelles, is expected in 2021.

SOURCE: Lens 2020 project approval lease search

WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE? The full effect of the US administration change is yet to be seen on the Canadian energy industry. One thing is certain, that M&A will continue to be a focus over the course of 2021. Look for the Montney to be the main driver of short-term growth, both in production and rig count. Meanwhile the promise of additional pipeline capacity could be the light at the end of the tunnel for a constrained Western Canada.

SCOTT NORLIN, GIT

BRANDON MYERS

Research Associate, Upstream Canada

Senior Analyst – Lower 48 Upstream

Scott joined the Canadian Upstream Research team at Wood Mackenzie in June 2019. He is responsible for providing financial asset valuation and objective commercial analysis on company and play activity across Canada. Some of the main operators in his coverage universe include CNRL, Cenovus, Tourmaline and Seven Generations. He also covers CNRL and Cenovus for the corporate analysis team, providing high level company valuation and strategy analysis. Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, Scott gained comprehensive experience in exploration and development of upstream assets. Scott worked at Parex Resources on conventional assets, Devon Energy on the Jackfish oil sands project and also has field experience in unconventional plays. Scott holds a Bachelor of Geology degree with honours from the University of Calgary and is a registered Geologist in training with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.

Brandon is a senior analyst with our Lower 48 research team. Having joined Wood Mackenzie in 2017, he has worked on the integration of subsurface data with L48 research and conducted research into every major unconventional play in the US and Canada. Prior to this, Brandon’s career included roles in both energy efficiency and the oil and gas industry. He was a founding partner of Firefli LEDs, a carbon reduction focused LED lighting company that focused on solutions for high rise towers and industrial facilities. After that he spent time as an energy analyst for Nemalux, a Canadian, heavy industry LED manufacturer that specializes in carbon and power reduction solutions for wellsite facilities. He was a conventional field geoscientist for an innovative junior oilfield optimization exploration company in Calgary through 2016 and early 2017. Brandon graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc, Specialization in Geology. Academically his focus was on the organic geochemistry of the Duvernay shale and his thesis was focused on hydrocarbon generation and expulsion modelling across Encana’s Kaybob acreage.

DISCLAIMER – THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS STATED BELOW ARE BASED ON WOOD MACKENZIE’S DATA, SOURCED FROM PUBLIC SOURCES ACROSS THE GLOBE AND OUR PROPRIETARY TOOLS SUCH AS LENS.

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The Tracks Award is presented to CSPG members and friends of the CSPG to recognize specific meritorious service to the Society through committee or other volunteer work. The objective of this award is to recognize individuals who have set standards of volunteer excellence within the Society of whom we can follow, be proud of, and derive benefit. This award distinguishes members and friends who have excelled at a particular volunteer position by an exceptional committee function, initiating new and innovative ideas or making a significant effort that goes beyond that of the usual volunteer. The award is specific to a particular event or major contribution.

Jeanine

Vany,

EVP Geosciences at Eavor Technologies Inc, is an APEGA registered professional geologist with a career spanning 20 years in the oil and gas and geothermal industries. Her experience ranges from reservoir characterization, drilling and operations to full field delineation strategies, asset management, and acquisition. Jeanine started out as a summer student at Syncrude Canada logging oil sands core which enabled her to achieve a full time new graduate consulting role at Cenovus (then EnCana) in the oil sands group where she represented EnCana in the 2003 Gas over Bitumen regional study and worked as a project geologist on the Clearwater asset. Jeanine later moved to Devon energy where she worked CHOPS and SAGD assets, contributed to major acquisitions and went on to develop these assets through recompletion development and greenfield step outs (multi-laterals were not even a whisper!).

Midway through her career she transitioned to Total to work up a West Athabasca SAGD prospect for commercialization and went on to become Team Lead Surmont on the non op side of the Total / Conoco Phillips joint venture. The latter part of her career saw time at GLJ, where she led the geoscience aspects of in-situ reserves and resource evaluations in addition to working deep basin unconventional plays. In 2016 Jeanine caught the business development and geothermal bug and went on to co-found Eavor Technologies Inc, a closed loop geothermal start up firm based in Calgary. It was about this time that Mark Caplan approached Jeanine to Co-Chair the CSPG Education Week which turned into a 2-year commitment and shortly thereafter Jen Russel-Houston suggested it was time for a Geothermal Division. It was an easy shift from Education Week to the Division Chair role because the fundamental desire to serve the community through knowledge sharing remained the same. Both Mark and Jen continue to be role models for Jeanine with respect to giving back to the community.

2020 CSPG Award Recipient

2020 TRACKS AWARD

Jeanine holds an Honours B.Sc. degree in Geology and Environmental Studies from Saint Mary’s University (2003) and a Business Essentials Certificate from the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary (2017). n

Award Recipient Interview

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Andrew Neil Hutton (1934-2020) – CSPG

A TRIBUTE

by Wayne Shepheard, P.Geol. and Easton Wren

One can read a great deal about Neil, as he was known, in biographical sketches, society reports and other documents. These record mainly the facts of his career and professional relationships. With the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG), he was a participant with many committees, President in 1982, a spokesman for the group and a recipient of several awards including an Honorary Membership.

This tribute is about Neil, the man: his goals and accomplishments as a working geologist; his ideas and experiences as a member of the geological community; his dedication to his community. He was a scientist at heart, a businessman by training and experience. These aspects served him well in his career and his association with the CSPG. Neil’s career and membership with the CSPG spanned five decades. He came to Canada in 1966, just after receiving his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Glasgow. He was first employed by Texaco Exploration Canada Limited (at a princely salary of $850 per month), heading up a special group doing exploration research, and establishing and supervising a laboratory for petrological, sedimentological and palaeontological studies. His technical and leadership qualities resulted in a rapid rise in management. He was appointed District Geologist for the Northwest Territories in 1970, Assistant Chief Geologist in 1975 and Assistant Exploration Manager in 1979. In 1979 Neil left Texaco to become a partner with Petrel Consultants Ltd., a company dedicated to the combination of geological and geophysical expertise in dealing with petroleum industry projects. The company prospered and grew organically over the years with a team of young, talented earth scientists overseen by Neil and his co-managers. He provided the geological inspiration for the many projects the company managed around the world, and his leadership and management skills were fundamental to the company’s success. Neil left Petrel in 1993 and spent several years as a consultant. He finally retired in 1999 to pursue familyrelated activities and do research on his other great interest, the myths around climate change.

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As is common with many people, friends are often made through the workplace. That was the case with us, learning about each other and becoming close colleagues through our mutual interests in geology. We worked with the man, socialized with him and his family, partied together, and shared ideas about our jobs, the environment and the world. With our common Scottish ancestry, we even spent a few Rabbie Burns’ nights together. As part of the CSPG Executive and committee associations, Neil was instrumental in helping to ensure the society developed and maintained a firm financial footing. His early responsibilities with conferences, for example, was to plan them so that they made a profit, not a common mandate of the times. Those funds proved invaluable in supporting many other CSPG activities.

Neil’s CSPG Executive team: FRONT (l-t-r) Eleanor Halton Neil Hutton Ian McIlreath D. Gardner BACK (l-t-r) – Peter Hay Jim Dixon Paul Gagnon Mike Cecile Fred Calverley.

Like most of us who toiled during the 1970s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s, Neil weathered the many ups and downs of the industry. These also impacted the activities of the CSPG, and he found himself enmeshed in many situations where his co-geologist members needed the support of the society.

... Neil was also involved with important community endeavours. He was President of the Calgary and Alberta learning disabilities associations and part of a joint project with the Children’s Hospital and local school boards...

Neil became active in supporting earth scientists with the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta, a relationship that was quite controversial during his tenure. He also promoted the society with universities across Canada, with other professional groups and in discussions about federal government initiatives. He assumed the lead role with the society following the institution of the National Energy Program and had to deal with the industry and professional crises the changed rules caused. He was the President of the CSPG in 1982 when the American Association of Petroleum Geologists came to town for their convention. As a measure of his sense of humour and humility he loved to tell the story of his part in the “rodeo” event organized for that convention: For me personally the unforgettable moment of the year must certainly be Stampede Night at the AAPG Convention. I was inveigled into masquerading as a cowboy…I tried out for the introductory welcome by the Presidents and Chairman on a horse of great docility and sensibility. However, on coming a little late for the introductions I found [in place of my trusty steed] stood a quivering mass of nervous horseflesh which proved well beyond my skill in horsemanship. We, therefore, presented a precise rear view to the Grandstands with the immortal cry “I hope you like my backside!” I think I almost stole the show [he did], and as they say, gave the Society a new direction.

plays he wished he had drilled and deals that were never made. Dr. Andrew Neil Hutton died on December 23, 2020 at the age of 86. He will be remembered by friends, relatives and the hundreds of industry professionals and workers with whom he came in contact. Specific published information about Neil recommended for further reading include the following: • the 1982 CSPG Annual Report of Activities https:// www.cspg.org/common/Uploaded%20files/pdfs/ documents/about/report_of_activities/1982-CSPGReport-of-Activities.pdf • a 2001 interview with him as part of the Petroleum Industry Oral History Projects http://www. petroleumhistory.ca/index.html • the 2008 article about him when he received his Honorary Membership in the Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, volume 56, number 2, pages 209210 • his 2020 obituary https://calgaryherald.remembering. ca/obituary/andrew-neil-hutton-1081341553

Neil, on his nervous and uncooperative steed, addressing attendees of the 1982 AAPG convention While many of his efforts were being directed to work with the CSPG and his new company responsibilities, Neil was also involved with important community endeavours. He was President of the Calgary and Alberta learning disabilities associations and part of a joint project with the Children’s Hospital and local school boards to establish support and provide research to help those members of the community who had suffered with learning difficulties. Neil ultimately saw his goal of having the Calgary Learning Centre (CanLearn society) formed of which he was the founding Chairman. For his long-term involvement in this area, he received the 2019 Peter Gzowski Award for Literacy. Neil’s death was not a surprise as he had been in the Bow View Manor nursing home for the last three years after suffering a series of strokes. He had regular visitors and rarely complained. He was occasionally frustrated at his inability to walk but was always in good spirits. He loved to reminisce about geology,

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CSPG GeoTours:

Rafting the Grand Canyon By Astrid Arts

t 446 km long, 29 km wide and over 1800 m deep, “Grand” is not be the right adjective to describe this Canyon. You can see the breadth of the Grand Canyon from the South and North Rims. To experience its depth, you must be willing to hike it Rim to Rim. The only way to experience its length is to raft down the Colorado River. The CSPG Fieldtrip Committee is launching a new kind of field trip for it’s membership: GeoTours – organized vacations to geological destinations on your bucket List. Our first GeoTour will be a Rafting Trip down the Grand Canyon in May 2022. Trips are open to you, your family and all your friends. All that is required is a sense of adventure, a love for the outdoors and the ability to listen to people talk about rocks.

Mile 53: The Puebloan Granaries near Nankoweap Canyon were constructed nearly 1000 years

ago. Ancestral Puebloan people used these structures to preserve grain, seeds and corn for long periods of time and to protect food in the short term from floods and hungry rodents.

Until 1869, the Grand Canyon was uncharted territory. Then, in the spring of that year, Major John Wesley Powell, a one-armed American Civil War Veteran, led the first successful expedition down the Colorado River. Powell was a geologist and ethnologist and he returned in the years that followed to explore the geology and archeology of the Grand Canyon and surrounding areas. He became the second Director of the United States Geological Survey in 1881. The lake formed by the Glen Canyon Dam at the north end of the Grand Canyon bears his name. It is much safer to run the river today than in 1869 but the Grand Canyon has called to geologists since the beginning. I had the good fortune to raft the Grand Canyon a few years ago and I hope a highlight reel of my trip can give you a sense of what is in store for you should you decide to come along with us in 2022. Each day on the trip there will be lots of rapids, all different shapes, sizes and splashiness. There are lots of seating options on the boat which will allow you to be as wet (“the bathtub”) or as dry (“the teahouse”) as you would like. We will stop for hikes every day and tour the countless side canyons. We will be doing an 8-day trip versus the standard 7-day trip to give us more chances to hike and nerd out on the geology. Although we may see other boats on the river, we will mostly have the Canyon to ourselves. The trip starts at Lee’s Ferry, officially mile 0 of the Grand Canyon. This spot is the only place you can access the banks of the Colorado River from both sides. A ferry ran here from 1870-1928. You will load into two motorized rafts and start the journey through geologic time down the river. Over the 278 mile (446 km) length of the Canyon, the Colorado River cuts through nearly 2 billion years of stratigraphy. From the 270 million year old (Triassic) Kaibab Limestone on the rim to the 1.7 Billion year old (Early Proterozoic) Vishnu Schist and Zoroaster Granite in the heart of the Canyon. Much to the surprize of most geologists, there are as many igneous and metamorphic rocks in the Grand Canyon as there are sedimentary.

Mile 119: On a hot day we took shelter in the shade and soaked our feet in the river to keep cool. 28 R E S E R V O I R I S S U E 2 • M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 2 1

Mile 158: Havasu Creek is famously known for its blue-green water, idyllic setting and spectacular waterfalls. The waterfalls are best reached from Supai Village on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. The Havasupai are the only Native Americans still living in the Grand Canyon.

Some highlights from the trip: At Mile 53 is the delta of Little Nankoweap Creek. Over a thousand years ago the Puebloan people lived and cultivated nearly every farmable area in the Canyon, including this delta. One striking reminder of the Nankoweap settlement is a beautifully constructed stone granary high up on the canyon wall. We hiked up a well used trail to see the lengths the Pueblo people went to protect their food. At Mile 62 is the Little Colorado River. Before the Glen Canyon Dam (at Mile -15) began operating in 1963, warm water and sediment flowed through the Colorado River. The Dam changed everything. All water now comes out of the bottom of the dam and is a very crisp 8-15°C. Tributaries like the Little Colorado are untouched by the affects of the Dam and preserve the habitat and wildlife that is native to this area. Floating down the warm turquoise waters of the little Colorado is a favorite of most people who run the river. At Mile 158 is Havasu Creek. The Havasupai “people of the blue-green water” are the only Native Americans still living in the Grand Canyon. Supai Village is the capitol of the Havasupai Indian Reservation. It is over 30 km upstream from the confluence and 16 km from any road. Supai Village, population 208, is the most remote community in the contiguous United States. It is only accessible by foot, pack animal or helicopter. The most spectacular waterfalls along Havasu Creek (Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls) require a separate trip but are well worth the visit if you can secure a permit. The creek, the waterfalls and the land are all sacred to the Havasupai. This side canyon has tufa you will dream about. In the end, we will spend 8 days on the river covering 188 miles. Accommodation is on the rustic side; you sleep on cots under the stars. Bathrooms include the river for all liquids and an outdoor toilet for all solids. All your meals and snacks are made for you by the guides. The belly of each raft acts like a refrigerator and you will have fresh food the entire trip. Temperature wise the river is cold (8-15°C) and the air is hot (25-35°C+). The average river speed is 4-6 kph. The expedition company will provide everything you need: lifejackets, drybags, cots, sleeping bags, sheets and pillows. All you need to bring are your personal items in a duffel bag.

TRIP TYPE: 8 day Full Canyon Motorized Expedition (no paddling) TRIP DATES: May 22-29, 2022 PRE-TRIP LODGING DATE: May 21, 2022 (at Cliff Dwellers Lodge) TRIP COST: $3581 USD per Person including $20 NPS Entrance Fee + $8 Grand Canyon Fund Donation Trip Deposit: $500 USD per Person to reserve Spaces TRIP BALANCE: due 120 days before departure (January 2022) COST OF THE TRIP INCLUDES:

Mile 62: The warm turquoise waters of the Little

Colorado are the perfect spot for an afternoon swim.

• 1st night stay at Cliff Dwellers Lodge • Transportation to Boat Launch • All food and Accommodation on the boat trip • Helicopter Ride out of the Canyon to Bar 10 Ranch • Flight from Bar 10 Ranch back to Las Vegas or Marble Canyon NOT INCLUDED: • Flight to Las Vegas • Transportation from Las Vegas to Cliff Dwellers Lodge (Bar 10 offers flights or a shuttle service), you can also drive to Marble Canyon • Alcohol/Pop or other beverages (all available for purchase through Cliff Dwellers and you can have access to your drinks all day long) • Gratuities for Guides

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Mile 180: Lava Falls Rapid. Basaltic

Lava poured into the Canyon between 830,000 and 100,000 years ago and extends over 100 km downriver.

The raft provides numerous seating options so you can experience the Colorado River in as wet or dry conditions as you would like.

If you are interested in going on the May 2022 CSPG GeoTour please contact Astrid Arts at astrid.arts@cenovus.com or call 403.826.8747 to discuss any questions you may have. Resources: Belknap’s Waterproof Grand Canyon River Guide - 2017

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE VIRTUAL EVENT JUNE 9 & 10 Join fellow engineers and geoscientists across multiple disciplines and industries at the APEGA Nexus Conference. Featuring 30 sessions, two plenary presentations and an opportunity to earn up to 15 CPD hours, this annual professional development event offers engaging practical discussions to:

MOUNTJOY AD COMING

Build your network; Establish connections; and Support your development goals

APEGACONFERENCE.CA

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OPERATIONS GEOLOGY DIVISION

An Objective Skills Assessment for Operations Geoscience Christine Telford, Tim Herrett, Bob Fagg and Martin Gardner Presenter: Christine Telford April 28, 2021 | 12:00-1:00pm MST E-Technical Division Talk

A B S T R AC T

t the Operations Geology Conference in 2014 held at the Geological Society London, a presentation was made highlighting the issues around the lack of a recognised competency system for operational geoscience. This is despite the discipline being involved in numerous safety critical tasks throughout the lifetime of a well. Other related UK industries such as civil engineering and engineering geology both have competency systems and registered levels of expertise which, unless you have achieved them, restricts the work that can be performed. The origin of these systems lay in response to issues of competence behind major engineering disasters, such as the collapse of the Tay Bridge, Dundee, Scotland in 1879. A robust measure of competency is not only useful for the assessed person but also for management who hold responsibility for critical assurance. Given the safety focus of the industry and the potential litigious consequences this is surely a necessary forward step. Subsequent to a mandate given by the attendees of the 2014 conference a steering group of five members was formed in September 2015 to initiate the process for establishing a UK industry wide CMS (competency management system) for operational geoscience professionals. The OGICA (Operations Geoscience International Competency Assessment) on line assessment is the first stage of this CMS for all working operationally in upstream oil & gas geoscience worldwide. The assessment is a selection of 100 questions randomly drawn from a peer reviewed question database created together

with our experienced industry specialists and is accessed via an online software platform supplied by eCom (Scotland) a leading IT provider of online training and assessment. The tool allows operations geoscientists across the energy sector to objectively assess their current skill levels. At the conclusion of the assessment a visual output is generated (spider plot and bar chart) with a ‘digital badge’ which can be uploaded for sharing results online. Together as a benchmark of skill levels it also highlights skill gaps where individuals may wish to address for further experience or training as part of their career CPD. The system offers a cost effective, anytime self-assessment for operations geoscientists around the world, enabling them to demonstrate the skills they have. It has also been identified for use as a first stage in operator and service company competency assessment and it could also form a universal first stage for use in competency programmes in the consultant operations geoscience community.

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CSPG INTERNATIONAL DIVISION

Brazil Beyond the Pre-salt: Onshore Frontier Basins & the Reservoir-to-Wire (R2W) Presenter: Frederico Miranda March 15, 2021 | 11:30-12:30pm MST

A B S T R AC T

Head of Exploration at Eneva and a professor in the FGV MBA Program for Oil & Gas, Frederico Miranda, worked extensively over 15 years in the Paleozoic onshore basins in Brazil, such as Parnaíba, Amazonas, Solimões, and more recently Paraná. Mr. Miranda holds an Msc. in Geology and Stratigraphy from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, focused on Parnaíba's unconventional resources. Also, hold specializations in Basin Analysis from the State University of Rio de Janeiro and in Petrophysics by Petrobras Corporate University.

BIOGRAPHY

E-Technical Division Talk

he Brazilian oil & gas industry is going through a huge revolution due to the pre-salt province's giant discoveries. The high operational costs and technological requirements make this province a game for the big players. In the other hand, the Brazilian oil & gas industry has left barely untouched more than 2,500,000 km² of onshore frontier basins. The Paleozoic Solimões and Parnaíba basins have already proven their potential with current oil and gas production, respectively, whereas the Amazonas and Paraná basins are still waiting to be unleashed. The successful monetization case of the Parnaíba Basin, through the reservoir-to-wire model, is proposed here as a game changer for the onshore frontier basins in Brazil. The model is based on implementing gas-fired power plants as near as possible of the gas fields. The largest private onshore operator in Brazil has successfully implemented this concept in the Parnaíba Basin, and it will soon replicate it in the Amazonas Basin. The lack of onshore infrastructure in the country is a heritage of the successful onshore exploration along the last decades. Luckily, for the reservoir-to-wire business model, the transmission lines network in Brazil is at least ten times more extensive than the existing gas pipelines, making the gas monetization more efficient through energy generation. Several government initiatives are focused on revitalizing Brazil's onshore activities, such as the REATE, Gáspara-crescer, and others. Considering the desired economic growth, energy is a bottleneck. In contrast, the replication of the reservoir-to-wire model to the extensive and promising onshore frontier basins is an elegant alternative to the other expensive natural gas sources.

Canada’s Canada’s largest largest natural natural gas gas producer producer A leader in sustainability. A leader in sustainability. tourmalineoil.com

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BASIN ANALYSIS AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY (BASS) DIVISION

2021-27 Timely Refresh for the Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin Speakers: Greg Lynch PhD, P.Geo., Chair, Atlas Steering Committee Neil Watson BSc, P.Geo., President, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists

A B S T R AC T

he ‘Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin’ (Mossop et al., 1994) is a well-known and well-loved treatise, that was wildly successful in achieving its original mandate of establishing a comprehensive stratigraphic framework for the basin, in maps, cross-sections, and text. Serving as a veritable boon to E&P companies both big and small over the last 30 years, it’s the first call/go-to manual for a quick look at the big picture, or when delving into new or unfamiliar stratigraphy or corners of this ‘Superbasin’ (Figure 1). The Atlas has opened doors and made basin entry accessible to all, attracting investment from within and outside of Canada. Countless scoping exercises, as well as planning and strategic discussions have huddled around the Atlas in finding a way forward; its value to the Oil and Gas industry and economic well-being of the whole country can only be described as ‘immeasurable’.

March 09, 2021 | 12:00-1:00pm MST E-Technical Division Talk

FIGURE 1. Outline of Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, and proposed extension of Atlas into Northern Interior Platform. Red dots are cities with representation on the Atlas Steering Committee, including provincial, territorial, and federal government surveys, as well as industry representation and the CSPG. Figure adapted from Mossop et al. (2004).

Preliminary discussions and planning for the new Atlas project began at the CSPG in the second half of 2020, and a Steering Committee eventually came together with representation from the four western provinces, as well as both the Yukon and NWT territories, the federal government, and industry. With a robust show of interest from the numerous potential authors who were solicited through the fall, and agreement between partnering agencies in the Steering Committee, official launch was announced in January 2021. Much of the impetus for this at the CSPG has also emerged from special events planning for the Centennial celebrations coming up in 2027, which serves as the target date for delivery of the revised Atlas, and provides a six-year window to get the work done and published. However, an entirely digital product is being planned, in which case modular or interim publishing of chapters can occur if completed ahead of time. Points of view on the timeliness of this review vary within the geoscience community, but are very supportive for the most part. Reactions range from “this is well overdue” to “so what’s new, how are you going to improve on the last edition”. It would seem any push-back attests to the high quality of the 1994 edition (Mossop et al., 1994). Certainly, a 30-year shelf life is a good run indeed, but 100s of thousands of wells have been drilled since then, and although the rocks are the same, the science has unabashedly moved forward and a revisit is in order. The first point of departure begins with the new Atlas extending further into the NWT to include correlative stratigraphy of the Northern Interior Platform, expanding the geographic reach (Figure 1). Also since 1994, unforeseen paradigm shifts have occurred, including the emergence of unconventional plays

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

BASIN ANALYSIS AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY (BASS) DIVISION

BIOGRAPHIES

2021-27 Timely Refresh (cont'd) and horizontal drilling technology, as well as large-scale oilsands developments and thermal bitumen plays coming online. New Atlas chapters are planned for capturing the explosion of knowledge and insight which have emerged as a result, in key intervals such as the Triassic Montney Formation, or from Devonian organic shales such as the Duvernay, Muskwa, and Canol formations. The Lower Cretaceous will be revisited for similar reasons. The modern digital revolution is also facilitating changes in the way we capture, analyse, and display data in the basin; for instance one of the objectives of the Atlas, spearheaded by the Alberta Geological Survey (AGS) and partnering Surveys, is to extend the current 3D model of Alberta into neighbouring provinces and territories in order to cover the entire basin. As well as stratigraphic updates a number of new thematic chapters are planned spanning a broad range of topics.These include abnormal pressures, microseismicity, basin modelling, geodynamics and paleogeography, sequence stratigraphy, ichnology, significant dinosaur and fossil sites, impact structures, carbon capture use and storage, geothermal energy, hydrogeology, formation waters, as well as hydrogen, helium, and lithium resources. Emerging green energy themes which are garnering more and more attention, are noted here.

Greg Lynch is a Professional Geologist with a PhD from the University of Alberta. He has had a research career with the Geological Survey of Canada, and subsequent exploration career with Shell. Greg is a Past President of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. Neil Watson is a Professional Geologist and President of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. At work Neil is Director of Geology at Enlighten Geoscience Ltd.

REFERENCES: Mossop, G.D., Shetsen, I., and Madunicky, M. 1994: Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Calgary, AB: Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, 500 p.

In the resource sector there are some things we have little control over, such as global market cycles, shifting commodity prices, the political pendulum both national and beyond, or the fate of ambitious infrastructure projects. However, in the interim, as geoscientists, engineers and technical workers we can work in a coordinated manner to provide the best possible understanding of this Superbasin, both for the sake of science, and in order to stay ready for, or even initiate the next big thing, whatever that looks like. A refresh of the Atlas strives to do just that, and the momentum that is currently under-foot is going to carry us there. n

Mossop, G.D., Wallace-Dudley, K.E., Smith, G.G., and Harrison, J.C. (comp.) 2004: Sedimentary Basins of Canada; Geological Survey of Canada Open File Map 4673.

SAVE the DATE For a Virtual Sampler of the Mountjoy Carbonate Conference jointly presented by CSPG and SEPM!

www.cspg.org/mountjoy www.cspg.org/mountjoy

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BASIN ANALYSIS AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY (BASS) DIVISION

Source-Rock Facies Models, or Why Didn’t the Second White Specks Work as a Resource Play? Presenter: Dr. Bruce S. Hart, Western University

A B S T R AC T

E-Technical Division Talk

uccessful source-rock plays have several key lithologic traits in common that are linked to depositional processes.

arguing about whether we should call fine-grained rocks shales, mudstones or mudrocks), the engineers proceeded without us.

• They are organically enriched, and the organic matter is oil prone. Liquids production helps improve profitability, and thermal cracking of oil to gas creates overpressures that allow even some dry gas wells to produce at economic rates.

In this presentation I summarize a shale/ source-rock facies model that predicts lithology and organic-matter trends in epicontinental seaways. It incorporates lithology, sedimentology and bulkgeochemical analyses (e.g., Rock-Eval®). More advanced analyses (e.g., biomarkers) can also be incorporated. The model is based on two primary types of sediment: siliciclastic sediment supplied by river mouths (silt, clay) and pelagic sediment generated in the water column (coccoliths, foraminifera, etc.). Various sedimentary processes entrain, transport, deposit and rework these sediments. In a simple basin, the siliciclastic component of mudstones should decrease in an offshore direction, and the pelagic component should increase. Superimposed on these trends are changes in the preservation potential of marine organic matter (MOM). Changes in shoreline trajectory (transgressions/regressions) cause facies stacking patterns that, in some cases, can be counterintuitive. Finally, the model explains why the Cenomanian/ Turonian Eagle Ford Formation of South Texas was developed as a resource play, whereas time-equivalent organic-rich rocks (Second White Specks, Tuscaloosa Marine Shale) did not.

• They have relatively low clay contents and are enriched instead in biogenic silica and/or carbonate. As such, hydraulic fracture treatments (including proppant placement) are effective means for increasing surface area and enabling production. • They were deposited over large areas. As such, there is running room to develop the factory-drilling operations that make these low-margin plays viable economically. When the shale revolution hit, sedimentary geologists initially lacked source-rock depositional models that could be used to predict property distributions within a basin. We had been focusing our efforts on sandstone and carbonate depositional environments (i.e. conventional reservoirs) and were caught flat footed when engineers needed us to help develop these plays. Largely unable to help (some of us were

Bruce Hart is a consultant and Adjunct Professor at Western University in Ontario, Canada. He previously held positions with Equinor/Statoil, ConocoPhillips, McGill University, New Mexico Tech, Penn State, and the Geological Survey of Canada. During that time, he worked as a researcher, technical specialist and explorationist for shale plays, tight-gas sandstones, tight-oil plays, fractured carbonates and other unconventional targets on six continents. His Bachelor’s degree is from McMaster, Master’s from UQAR, and PhD from UWO. Bruce toured as the AAPG/ SEG Distinguished Lecturer in 2009–2010 and 2016–2017. He has authored or coauthored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications (three of which have won Best Paper awards) on shales, seismic attributes, stratigraphy, fractured reservoirs, pore-pressure prediction, sequence stratigraphy, and other topics. He authored a digital textbook on seismic interpretation for AAPG and has given short courses on that topic in Houston, London, Cairo, Kuala Lumpur, Calgary, Vienna, and elsewhere.

D I V I S I O N P RO F I L E The Division's mandate is to provide a CSPG forum for members who are interested in seeing the "wood" when they are looking at the "trees". Most of us deal with small areas in our daily work. A good understanding of the big geologic picture in which our areas are located will facilitate better geological interpretations and predictions, which will translate into higher drilling success rates. The aim of the Basin Analysis and Sequence Stratigraphy Division is to be innovative, inspiring and practical. We will try to introduce new concepts and methodologies of basin analysis and sequence stratigraphy to our group. We would also like to share inspiring interpretations of historical Canadian data. In particular, we encourage speakers to offer learnings that we can take home and apply in our daily work. The Division is also interested in running field trips or joint talks with other Divisions in the future.

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

BIOGRAPHY

April 13, 2021 | 12:00-1:00pm MST

GEOTHERMAL DIVISION

An overview of well design and testing considerations on Canada’s first Geothermal March 2021 E-Technical Division Talk

A B S T R AC T

EEP completed a “Southeast Saskatchewan Geothermal Project Pre-Feasibility Study” in September 2014, drilled their first exploration well in December 2018 and completed testing on the discovery well in summer 2019.

Subsequent activities include the drilling and testing of one step out exploration well and three appraisal wells including the world’s first horizontal geothermal well to incorporate a multi-stage hydraulic stimulation. This paper will discuss well design and testing considerations/challenges for the exploration, appraisal and development wells associated with the DEEP geothermal development.

Dave Brown is a highly experienced Professional Engineer specializing in Well Construction (Drilling, Completions and stimulation). Dave has held Sr. Management positions with Oil and Gas Producer organizations where he managed very large capital budgets and staff. Dave has also held Executive level positions with Oil and Gas Service Provider organizations where he led Divisions and held P&L accountability. Dave has demonstrated success throughout his career by directing teams towards the development of continuous improvement processes and activities using data analytics in the areas of safety, engineering/planning, technology and operations. In addition to his experience in Canada, Dave also has considerable international experience in a broad range of locations including SE Asia, Eastern Europe, Russia, US, Mexico and Latin/South America

The online CSPG Core Conference is coming up June 17th and 18th 2021. Our premier flagship conference will showcase technical work from our geoscience community in a relaxed and collaborative environment. This year we are excited to present the theme: ‘Breaking Barriers in a Changing World’. Th conference will include core presentations from the best The university researchers across Canada, oil and gas technical experts, and renewable energy scientists. www.cspg.org/coreconference

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Registration Opens:

April 12th, 2021

BIOGRAPHY

Presenter: Dave Brown, P.Eng.

GEOTHERMAL DIVISION

Geology of the Clarke Lake Project Presenter: Evan Renaud, GIT April 08, 2021 | 12:00-1:00pm MST E-Technical Division Talk

A B S T R AC T

larke Lake is a depleted gas field developed in carbonate platform deposits of the Slave Point Formation (Middle Devonian) in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The field displays anomalously high reservoir temperature and strong water drive, making it a candidate for repurposing as a source of geothermal power. Porous and permeable reservoir near the platform margin developed through the hydrothermal alteration of host limestone to dolomite. A depositional model provides a basis for mapping the dolomite reservoir, and thus, reservoir properties. Nine depositional facies and two diagenetic facies are identified, the former based on bioclast assemblages, rock types, texture and composition and the later based on rock fabric and the extent of alteration to dolomite. These facies were deposited within lagoonal, reef-flat, shoal, reef margin and foreslope settings associated with a rimmed carbonate platform. Dolomitized lagoonal, reef flat, reef margin and shoal lithologies show enhanced porosity

and permeability due to dissolution of stromatoporoid bioclasts, forming mouldic and vuggy porosity. Diagenetic facies show high permeability due to fractures but reduced porosity as a result of precipitation of porosity-occluding dolomite, fluorite, and sulphide minerals. High quality reservoir zones occur primarily at the reef margin, caused by fabric-selective hydrothermal alteration of carbonate sediments near the contact with shales of the Horn River and Muskwa formations. Correlation of core descriptions and wireline log data allow the Slave Point Formation to be separated into stratigraphic successions that influenced dolomitization: an initial shoal unit, S1, three subsequent reef units, R1, R2, R3, and terminal shoal units of D1, D2 and D3. Shoal units were deposited in the transgressive systems tracts, whereas reef growth units were deposited in the highstand systems tracts.

BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Renaud is a geologist with experience in investigating subsurface porosity and permeability variation within conventional and unconventional sedimentary reservoirs through technical field positions, office roles, and university research. He has worked as a geologist with Nexen CNOOC Ltd. and a field engineer with Baker Hughes Canada. He now works as a geological consultant with RESPEC Consulting Ltd. working on a variety of projects, including geothermal, carbon capture and storage, and mining. In his master’s degree, Mr. Renaud focused on applying these learnings to the geothermal industry and assessing the feasibility of repurposing Clarke Lake field, mature gas field, into a source of geothermal power. His other focus was providing a reservoir characterization through core description, rock sampling, mapping, and simulating the flow of hot water within a hydrothermal dolomite reservoir.

CSPG GeoMatch Program Mentorship is an important part of the career development of all geologists and the CSPG encourages their members to join as mentors or mentees, regardless of experience.

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

PALAEONTOLOGICAL DIVISON TALK

The Upper Cretaceous Wapiti Formation of Northern Alberta, Canada Presenter: Dr. Corwin Sullivan, Philip J. Currie Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta March 19, 2021 | 7:30-8:30pm MST E-Technical Division Talk

A B S T R AC T

BIOGRAPHY

he Campanian to early Maastrichtian Wapiti Formation of northern Alberta has received increasing attention from palaeontologists since the 1980s. This has resulted in an improving picture of a succession of faunas situated well north (at palaeolatitude ~60° N) of the classic sites of southern Alberta and the western United States, extending previous knowledge of the Campanian biogeography of Laramidia. The Wapiti Formation comprises five numbered units, of which the oldest (Unit 1) correlates approximately with the Foremost Formation of southern Alberta and the youngest (Unit 5) correlates approximately with the upper part of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation. Especially important is Unit 3, which formed during a part of the Campanian (~73-74 Ma) when terrestrial deposition in southern Alberta was interrupted by a transgression of Cretaceous North America’s Western Interior Seaway. As a result of this event, marine shales of the Bearpaw Formation underlie the Horseshoe Canyon Formation and overlie the somewhat older Dinosaur Park Formation. However, Unit 3 of the Wapiti Formation is clearly terrestrial, and

preserves a unique record of land life in boreal Laramidia at the time of the Bearpaw transgression. Unit 3 includes the Pipestone Creek Bonebed, source of the otherwise unknown dinosaurs Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai and Boreonykus certekorum. Two other Unit 3 sites, Kleskun Hill and the recently discovered DC Bonebed, preserve small, disarticulated bones and teeth. A sample of over 200 vertebrate specimens from the DC Bonebed includes many elements that are common in the pre-Bearpaw Dinosaur Park Formation of southern Alberta, such as champsosaurs, trionychid turtles, and baenid turtles including Plesiobaena antiqua. However, the DC Bonebed assemblage differs from that of the Dinosaur Park Formation in that acipenserid fish, chelydrid turtle and thescelosaurid ornithischian elements are relatively abundant, while crocodylians are known from only one or two teeth. A caenagnathid theropod mandible from the DC Bonebed resembles Chirostenotes from the Dinosaur Park Formation, but is very small, and the site has also produced a caenagnathid ilium and pubis of roughly proportionate size. These caenagnathid bones could conceivably have come from a single juvenile individual, but the DC Bonebed

champsosaurs are also small, and large turtles such as Adocus are absent. A juvenile lambeosaurine found near the DC Bonebed is comparable to Corythosaurus, but may be a new taxon given its tridentlike nasal. A monstersaurian lizard frontal bone from the DC Bonebed could be referrable to Labrodioctes or Palaeosaniwa, both known from the Dinosaur Park Formation, or even to the Maastrichian Paraderma. The Kleskun Hill fauna likewise resembles that of the DPF but shows a few novelties, notably the presence of abundant troodontid teeth, the unique scincomorphan lizard Kleskunsaurus, and a partial lizard mandible that resembles specimens of Chamops segnis from the Maastrichtian of the western United States. The mandible was in fact the first fossil vertebrate specimen from the Wapiti Formation to be formally described, by Charles M. Sternberg in 1951. The Unit 3 fauna does not differ in general composition from slightly older, more southerly Campanian ones, but is notable for including some distinctive species and displaying high abundances of some groups that are comparatively rare in the southern assemblages. However, the fact that Unit 3 coincides with a gap in the southern Alberta terrestrial record implies that some oddities of the Unit 3 fauna may result from sampling an otherwise poorly represented time, rather than from sampling a higher palaeolatitude. The near-absence of crocodylians and the small size of the turtles and champsosaurs are perhaps most likely to reflect a true latitudinal signal, given latitudinal constraints on the size and distribution of ectotherms today.

Corwin Sullivan is a vertebrate palaeontologist with the University of Alberta and the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum. After completing a BSc at the University of Victoria, an MSc at the University of Toronto Mississauga and a PhD at Harvard University, Corwin moved to Beijing in 2007 to take up a postdoctoral position at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP). He subsequently accepted an invitation to join the IVPP as a faculty member, and remained in China until 2017, when he relocated to Alberta. Corwin’s research focusses on documenting the diversity of fossil vertebrates, particularly dinosaurs and their relatives, and on understanding the evolution of their form and function. He is especially interested in the Cretaceous vertebrates of northern Alberta, and in the changes in locomotion and respiration that took place on the evolutionary line to birds. Corwin is the author or coauthor of more than sixty scientific papers and book chapters, and of the book From Fish to Human: The March of Vertebrate Life in China.

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PALAEONTOLOGICAL DIVISON TALK

History of waste and how it has changed the world over the past ~3.5 Billion years Speaker: Dr. Stan Stancliffe (Keynote Presentation), Professional Geologist April 16, 2021 | 7:30-8:30pm MST

A B S T R AC T

alaeontology has always been interested in the front end of animals as there is often teeth and bones which are preserved in the fossil record. However, studying the organism’s waste can produce many interesting observations that help with the understanding of how life has changed the earth. This talk will highlight the ways waste has altered the planet over the past ~3.5 billion years.

from their source. With these observations in mind, it is possible to look back at the history of the planet and show how life’s evolution has altered the world. It is thought that life may have begun approximately 600 million years after the formation of earth, in the form of organisms called archaea. These simple cells lived in the sea and produced waste products probably containing carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphate and later perhaps methane gases. By ~3.5 billion years ago, stromatolites in Australia have been found to be associated with sulphur isotopes related to life processes. It is not until ~2.4 billion years ago that cyanobacteria-produced waste oxygen in significant quantities, perhaps causing the Great Oxygenation Event. Eukaryotes appear around 1.8 billion years ago but Vernanimalcula guizhouena (the first fossils with bilateral symmetry and a separate anus, are found in rocks of 600 million years of age). Coprolites have been found in the Cambrian though it is speculated that they should be present significantly earlier in the earth’s history.

In the Paleozoic complex life forms evolved first in the sea and then onto the land and finally into the air. Waste was therefore distributed much further away from the source, which lead to the changing of continents as well as the oceans. The land animals grew larger, till the Mesozoic dinosaurs became the largest purveyors of organic waste ever. In the Tertiary mammals became dominant but gigantism returned as did the power to change the earth into what it is today.

Stan Stancliffe obtained his PhD in Jurassic marine palynology from the University of Saskatchewan. He has since spent 25 years as a researcher, oil and gas geoscientist and mentor. His publications cover many diverse subjects, and he has presented numerous talks on aspects of geology in North America and Europe. A special interest is the history of organic mudstones and how/when they were formed. Life is a major source of mud and this talk is an outcome of his research.

I N F O R M AT I O N This event is presented jointly by the Alberta Palaeontological Society, the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Mount Royal University, and the Palaeontology Division of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. For details or to present a talk in the future, please contact CSPG Palaeontology Division Chair Jon Noad at jonnoad@hotmail.com or APS Coordinator Harold Whittaker at 403-286-0349 or contact programs1@albertapaleo.org. Visit the APS website for confirmation of event times and upcoming speakers: http://www.albertapaleo.org/

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

BIOGRAPHY

To understand how the world has been changed by life, it is necessary to look at what organisms are changing and even controlling on the world today. Life alters the land by many ways, including the production of soil, landforms, the distribution of nutrients and even the spreading of seeds. At the interaction between land and the oceans, life makes carbonate beaches, cements sand grains, and stops the erosion of coastlines. In the ocean, marine organisms create faeces that sink down and fertilise the marine sediments. In the air the balance of oxygen is controlled by plant waste and flying organisms can distribute chemicals far

E-Technical Division Talk

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY DIVISION

Presentation 1: An overview on the geodynamic evolution of the Eastern Alps in Europe Presenter: Dr. Martin Reiser, Geological Survey of Austria, Vienna April 1, 2021 | 12:00-1:00pm MST E-Technical Division Talk

A B S T R AC T

40 R E S E R V O I R I S S U E 2 • M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 2 1

BIOGRAPHY

he European Alps are a collisional orogen that formed due to the converging movement of the Eurasian and Adriatic plates. Inherited metamorphic imprints and a twofold evolution during the Cretaceous and Cenozoic contribute to the complexity of the Alpine orogen. A first episode of crustal nappe stacking and subsequent metamorphism in the Adriatic plate started in Late Jurassic times, reaching its metamorphic peak around mid-Cretaceous times. This was followed by Late Cretaceous extension and exhumation of high-grade metamorphic units that are nowadays located along an east-west trending zone from the central Eastern Alps towards the east. Permian pegmatites from one of these high-grade units represent one of Europe’s largest lithium deposits. During Late Cretaceous times the Adriatic continental margin experienced a changeover from a passive to an active margin: the Penninic Ocean, a small appendix of the early North Atlantic Ocean separating the Adriatic and Eurasian plates, started to subduct beneath the Adriatic plate. The second chapter of the Alps’ evolution began when the ocean-continent subduction was superseded by continent-continent collision during Palaeogene times. When the European continental margin entered the subduction zone, its sedimentary cover was partially scraped off and incorporated into an accretionary wedge located along the northern margin of the Alps. Other parts of the European margin were subducted and underwent high pressure metamorphism at depths of about 60 km. Slab break-off of the oceanic lithosphere during Eocene times triggered magma generation and rapid uplift of the orogen. Continued shortening was accommodated by north and south vergent thrusts, thus turning the Alps into a doubly vergent orogen. From the Oligocene onwards, the eroded material from the Alps was deposited in large foreland basins, north and south of the Alps. During later stages, the proximal part of these basins was deformed and partially overthrust. In late Oligocene‐Miocene times, slab roll-back of the subducted European plate opened accommodation space towards the east. The thickened crust of the Eastern Alps collapsed and the lower plate was exposed in several tectonic windows, the most prominent being the Tauern window. The main valleys in the Eastern Alps follow large strike-slip faults that were generated in the course of this lateral extrusion. The Vienna Basin, a Neogene pull-apart basin that accommodates about 5.5 km of sediments, provides Austria’s main oil and gas reserves. It is located at the intersection between the Alps, the Carpathians and the Pannonian basin. General uplift of the Eastern Alps that also led to partial erosion of the Neogene sediments in the foreland basins prevailed from Miocene times onwards.

Martin is employed at the Austrian Geological Survey, where his primary task is mapping and basic research in crystalline basement rocks of the Austrian Alps. He obtained his PhD in structural geology and thermochronology from the University of Innsbruck. During his PhD and as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Innsbruck he taught classes in geological maps & cross sections, field mapping and GIS systems, as well as summer school courses on the Geology of the Alps for the University of New Orleans. Prior to his employment at the Austrian survey, he conducted several seasons of fieldwork in the Carpathians and Italian Alps.

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY DIVISION

Presentation 2: From mountain building to orogenic collapse: Cretaceous to Neogene geodynamic evolution of the Dinarides Orogen in the SE Europe Speaker: Dr. Uros Stojadinovic, University of Belgrade, Serbia April 1, 2021 | 12:00-1:00pm MST E-Technical Division Talk

A B S T R AC T

The large-scale exhumation along the Dinarides margins was coeval with the formation of Pannonian Basin of Central Europe and associated deposition of Neogene sediments in the hanging-wall of genetically related extensional detachments. Such basin-forming tectonics controlled the type petroleum plays, with the traps mainly represented by footwall tilt blocks and horsts developed in the tensional and subsidence domain. The thermal pulse created during the syn-rift cycle of active extensional faulting controlled the surface heat flow in the later postrift phase of thermal subsidence. The southeastern Pannonian Basin formed over the basement comprised of the Dinarides units has heat flow values that exceed 100 mW/m2. The extension was followed by an overall tectonic inversion that started in the latest Miocene and is presently active. The inversion represents the effect of shortening due to the Adria plate indentation. The youngest contractional event created strike-slip faulting, thrusting, and reverse faulting and folding. Such basin-modifying tectonics produced a greater variety of trap types, which include wrench faulted zones and en echelon folds.

BIOGRAPHY

he Dinarides Mountains in the southeastern Europe represent the southern branch of Alps-Carpathians-Dinarides orogenic system. The Dinarides orogen was structured in response to the closure of the Neotethys Ocean located between the continental margins of Adria and Europe (i.e., the Vardar Ocean). Following the Middle Triassic opening of the Vardar oceanic domain, its Late Jurassic–Eocene closure culminated during the latest Jurassic obduction of ophiolites over the continental margin of Adria. The ongoing Cretaceous Adria-Europe convergence led to the E-ward subduction of the remaining Neotethys oceanic lithosphere beneath the European upper plate (i.e., the Sava subduction system). The latest Cretaceous to Eocene Adria-Europe collision resulted in the formation of large forelandvergent thrusts, associated with the migration of subduction zone by continental accretion. The break-off of the Neotethys slab beneath the Dinarides triggered the Oligocene–Miocene extension which reactivated the inherited thrust contacts as the asymmetric extensional detachments along the entire Dinarides margin. Intermediate depth crustal rocks that were previously buried by the Sava subduction/collision were rapidly exhumed as extensional core-complexes.

I obtained my PhD degree at VU University Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2014. Since 2016 I am employed at the University of Belgrade, Serbia as assistant professor in dynamic geology. I am a structural geologist and thermochronologist who focuses on the evolution of continental subduction zones, syn-depositional tectonism, kinematics of neotectonic features, and remote sensing analysis of tectonically active areas.

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

Don't shrug off this Atlas Neil Watson, P. Geol., CSPG President

“IT”

weighs 30 lbs (or, more correctly, has a mass of 13.6 kg). When you drop “IT” from just the right height, the 54 cm by 42 cm by 5 cm tome with the reddish-brown cover and gold lettering makes a satisfying and authoritative thump on the table. As you turn the 510 thick pages, each with just the right amount of stiffness, they give the impression of leafing through a sacred text. And “IT” has been the steadfast companion of far too many geologists to count. “IT” is the Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. And since the Atlas’ publication in 1994, it has allowed us to stand on the shoulders of giants. Transferred from Williston Basin Development to Peace River Arch Exploration and you need to understand Charlie Lake stratigraphy? No problem. Figure 16.21 has the answer. A land sale notice drops with massive Duvernay postings? Where do you first turn? Chapter 12, of course. The Atlas continues to be a well-loved resource for any geologist working in the WCSB. We have been fortunate to have the Atlas to lean on. It truly is an example of the Canadian geological community’s ability to collaborate and leverage off of the amazing public dataset at our disposal. This unique document has been a calling card for investment within and without Canada and the global envy of geologists abroad. But science, technology, modes of communication and the plays we pursue have continued to evolve over the last 27 years. In 1994, Sequence Stratigraphy was relatively new and controversial. There was no internet to speak of. The shapefiles, currently provided through the Alberta Geological Survey website, were an aftermarket upgrade. And not many people thought we would be hydraulically fracturing horizontal wells in the early 1990’s. As much as we love the Atlas, it is time for a new coat of paint. It should be noted that this current project is not the first recreation of the Atlas. The Alberta Society of Petroleum Geologists published the Atlas of Western Canada in 1964 (I think of that version as Atlas 1.0). Given the 30 years

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Photo by: David Hills - farrellhills.com

between Atlas 1.0 and the current Atlas 2.0, starting a refresh in 2021 seems like an appropriate interval. And time has marched on for another venerable oil patch Icon. The CSPG is turning 100 years old in 2027. Given the timeframe involved in recasting the Atlas, a hard launch date of July 1, 2027 has been targeted to coincide with this important milestone. As such, Participation in the Atlas 3.0 is a 7-year commitment by the CSPG to do its part to make this dream a reality by providing logistical and volunteer support. As with the renovation of any well-loved structure, whether a grand museum or a heritage home, the key is to modernize and upgrade while maintaining the original character. The Louvre is fully wired for internet and Wi-Fi, but you don’t see ethernet cables lying about. Additions, while perhaps initially controversial, if correctly done are now seen as key components of the overall edifice. This Atlas relaunch started small with phone calls to members of the various western governmental geological organizations. These include (clockwise from east to west) the: n

Geological Survey of Canada

Manitoba Geological Survey

Saskatchewan Geological Survey

Alberta Geological Survey

Geoscience BC

British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission

Yukon Geological Survey

Northwest Territories Geological Survey

Canadian Energy Regulator

CSPG GeoLeaders Group of Industry representatives

The tangible benefits of completing the renewal of the Atlas will be enormous. This document will provide an incredible draw for investment in our basin as the world seeks to achieve an energy transformation.

After receiving significant initial encouragement, Atlas 3.0 really began to gain momentum when Greg Lynch stepped up to establish and chair the Atlas Steering Committee. Greg continued to build the substrate with the assistance of CSPG Managing Director, Yarina Moharam and Neil Watson. As the project grew, the need for Sub-committees became apparent. As an example, Ben McKenzie, Kyler Coutts and Stephen Bilston have established a GIS and Map Standards Committee to organize the look of the base map and organize the data. David Hills has joined in to add a graphics flair. Kathleen Dixon is heading up the Fundraising Committee (Look forward to hearing more on this front soon). This structure will continue to blossom as the initiative takes shape. This will not be a minor project. Hundreds of authors have started working on their chapters. They are well known both within Canada and internationally as experts in their fields. New plays, such as the Montney, Canol and Duvernay, will be incorporated. Disciplines, such as geomechanics, that were nascent 30 years ago will have chapters dedicated to the subject. The Phase I area of Atlas 3.0 has been expanded to include the Central Mackenzie Valley of the Northwest Territories. And 3D models of the WCSB are being developed. As is a wholly online delivery system. New energy plays, such as geothermal and energy mineral resources including helium and lithium will also be featured. Carbon Capture and Storage will be another highlight and the integration of these topics, is part of the CSPG transition to truly become the home for “Canada’s Energy Geoscientists”. The tangible benefits of completing the renewal of the Atlas will be enormous. This document will provide an incredible draw for investment in our basin as the world seeks to achieve an energy transformation. This project is obviously a once in a career event that you do not want to miss out on. And you do not have to. There will be innumerable opportunities to take part from GIS to editing to web design. The third decade of the 21st Century has been a difficult time for many of our

Photo by: David Hills - farrellhills.com

members. Pitching in will be an excellent way for displaced CSPG members to keep up to date on their technical background and skills. You are undoubtedly excited to learn more. I encourage you to tune in to Greg’s BASS Division talk on March 9, 2021 through which he will provide a detailed review of the Atlas 3.0 project. An abstract for Greg’s presentation is provided here and deeper into the Reservoir. (LINK) n

RESERVOIR ISSUE 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021

GEOWOMEN TALKS

Rediscovering Myself as a Geologist During a Pandemic March 16, 2021 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm (Mountain Time)

A B S T R AC T

ulini will share the story of her journey during the pandemic and how she rediscovered her enthusiasm for mineral resources during this difficult time, spending a year building on her knowledge of worldwide lithium resources and the intersection of geothermal and renewable energy. Her message: Don’t be discouraged, achieving your goals takes time. The situation may be hard right now, but keep dreaming, work hard and don’t give up.

Yulini Arediningsih has a background in hard rock geology and experience working in the geothermal and mineral industries in Indonesia. Since the economic collapse, which hit Alberta hard in 2013, Yulini managed to navigate a path into the role of a Data Analyst, a significant departure from her previous experience in the geosciences. She has kept connected to the geoscience community through her volunteer efforts with GeoWomen of Calgary, and through the Calgary Regional Immigration Employment Council. Yulini now has almost 7 years of experience working for oil sands operators and pipeline companies in the areas of Asset Management, Maintenance and Reliability.

BIOGRAPHY

Speaker: Yulini Arediningsih, MSc, P.Geo. | TC Energy

Leaning in and pursuing new opportunities Speaker: Shelley Leggitt, MSc, P.Geol. | VP Geoscience, Velvet Energy April 20, 2021 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm (Mountain Time)

BIOGRAPHY

A B S T R AC T Shelley is a professional geologist with over 30 years of oil and gas experience. Her recent experience has focused on building and leading technical teams in unconventional assets. Shelley has held various senior management roles at NAL Resources, EOG Resources Canada, Enerplus, and Encana. Ms. Leggitt holds a Masters degree in Geology from McMaster University. She is currently VP Geoscience with Velvet Energy leading a specialist technical team focussed on the Montney oil window.

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omen geoscientists are scarce in senior management roles within our industry. Why is that – there are plenty of very technically competent women but they haven’t moved into these leadership roles. I’ll share my personal experience on finding a role in uncertain times during the late 80’s downturn, managing a career and children in the 1990’s through 2000’s, all the while aspiring to learn new concepts and progress into senior leadership roles. Hopefully I can provide some insights from my journey that others can use to help them forge their own.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE CSPG SPONSORS TITANIUM

PLATINUM

GOLD

S I LV E R

BRONZE

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS Chinook Consulting Services RPS Energy Canada Ltd. MJ Systems Mount Royal University Cabra Consulting Ltd. H2Sweet Weatherford International

Eavor Graham Davies Geological Consultants Magus Engineering Limited McDaniel & Associates Consultants Ltd. National Oilwell Varco (Varco

Canada ULC) Petrocraft Products Ltd. Rockhound Advisory Corp. SeisWare Sleeman Breweries Ltd. XRF Solutions Ltd Belloy Petroleum Consulting

Canadian Discovery Ltd. Husky Energy Inc. Midwest Surveys Tri Alta Projects Santos Inc. As of Jan 31st, 2021

Dedicated to supporting its members since 1927, the CSPG continuously offers new opportunities to enhance their skills and enrich their experiences, from events to publications to receiving grants to awards and much more. Join CSPG, and:

Be part of the science. Be part of the legacy. Be part of CSPG.

• Benefit from member discounts on all conferences, luncheons and webinars • Enhance your technical skills through our revamped educational program • Attend more than 20 free technical talks offered every year • Have fun checking out rocks through our field trips • Engage with specialised CSPG communities • Advance your technical knowledge through peer reviewed papers in the Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology and articles in the digital Reservoir magazine • Learn new skills and expand your professional network by volunteering with any of CSPG’s programs • Share your experiences through CSPG’s upcoming mentorship program • Build your professional brand through our communications opportunities • Receive grants and awards for your distinguished work

Join today! www.cspg.org