The Jurassic Norphlet Formation of the Deep Water Eastern Gulf of Mexico:
A Revisit of the Sedimentology of Aeolian Systems & Comparisons to both the Modern Namib Desert and Ancient Cedar Mesa Analogues
Speaker: Dr. John B. Wagner
Nexen Petroleum, Inc.
Dallas, TX.
Co-Authors: S. W. Douglas and R. J. Moiola
Speaker Biography:
Dr. Wagner received both his B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and his Ph.D. in geology at The University of Texas at Dallas. He joined Nexen Petroleum in December of 2000 as Sedimentologist for Deep-water Exploration and Development and is currently Chief Geologist for Nexen Petroleum U.S.A. Prior to joining the petroleum industry with Mobil Research & Development in 1987, his work ranged from field geologist in Alaska, to manager of a seismic crew, to coastal geologist for the Louisiana Geological Survey Coastal Geology Program. John was a scientist on board the 1985 USGS/IOS GLORIA survey of the deep-water Mississippi Fan, Gulf of Mexico which was a significant expedition in regards to our understanding of deep-water submarine fan systems. He is a member of both the AAPG and SEPM and has served on Program Committees for the Gulf Coast Section Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists (GCSSEPM) Foundation Annual Research Conferences and was the 2009 President of GCSSEPM.
In addition to his role as Chief Geologist for Nexen Petroleum U.S.A., John is currently a Research Associate Professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he serves as graduate advisor and teaches graduate courses in the field of sedimentology and has published over 30 papers and abstracts. His work travels have taken him from the rivers and streams of Sakhalin Island Russia, to the coast of Vietnam, to the jungles and mountains of Bolivia and Argentina. His primary research interests are focused on siliciclastic depositional systems both modern and ancient, sandstone sedimentology, reservoir architecture, depositional systems analysis, and understanding the various allocyclic and autocyclic controls that influence deposition.
Abstract:
Aeolian systems consist of dune and interdune deposits that are intimately associated with a variety of extradunal facies (e.g., wadi, sabkha, sand sheet, alluvial fan, etc.). The Jurassic Norphlet Formation is extensive buried Aeolian sandstone first discovered in 1922 in Norphlet, Arkansas. Recent drilling in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico, utilizing high resolution 3D seismic has led to further seaward extension of this vast aeolian system. Aeolian strata interpreted includes dune deposits characterized by grainflow, grainfall, and wind ripple, as well as interdune deposits with dry, wet, and evaporitic interdune elements. Reservoir properties of these aeolian systems are shown to be related to primary depositional processes and post-depositional diagenetic modifications. Within these Aeolian reservoirs, sublayers of variable reservoir quality are shown to be directly related to the differential distribution of stratification types and are key to understanding the permeability anisotropy observed both vertically and horizontally. Analogs to this study include the modern Namib Desert in Namibia, Africa and the ancient Cedar Mesa (Permian) in Utah.