Newsletter of the Alaska Geological Society (AGS), 2012

The Application of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging)
Technology to Outcrop Geology
With an Example From Sagwon Bluffs
on the North Slope of Alaska
1
1
2
Peter P. Flaig , Dolores A. van der Kolk , Richard Garrard ,
1
1
Darrin Burton , and Lesli Wood ,
1
2
University of Texas at Austin, bureau of Economic Geology, Quantitative Clastics Laboratory
FEX L.P., Anchorage, Alaska
LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) is a noninvasive, remote sensing technique that allows for
rapid collection of large, 3-dimensional outcrop
datasets with intrinsic qualities that include quantitative
relationships and potential proxies for lithology. LiDAR
is principally RADAR that uses light rather than sound
waves to collect spatially referenced point clouds at
~2500 samples per second at a range of up to 800 m
(ground-based LiDAR). Point clouds are rendered and
analyzed in InnovMetric s 3-D metrology software
Polyworks. The Quantitative Clastics Laboratory at the
Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at
Austin curates a LiDAR Legacy dataset that now
includes a recent survey recorded from Sagwon Bluffs
along the Sagavanirktok River on the North Slope of
Alaska.
The Paleocene Prince Creek Formation (PCF) is
exposed at Sagwon Bluffs in 40-120 m-high, 11 kmlong cliffs that provide an ideal outcrop analogue for a
shallow North Slope petroleum reservoir. Coastal-plain
facies of the PCF include conglomerate, sandstone,
organic siltstone, carbonaceous shale, mudstone, and
coal deposited in meandering streams, lakes,
swamps, and on levees, crevasse splays, and
floodplains. In outcrop, isolated channel-sands are
encased in thick, muddy, organic-rich floodplain and
lacustrine facies, creating potential stratigraphic traps.
Alluvial architectures and thick coals suggest high
subsidence/accommodation in this part of the basin
during the Paleocene.
Volume 42 Number 6
AGS Luncheon
Date & Time:
Feb. 16th, 11:30 am
Program:
Application of LiDAR Technology
Speaker(s):
Peter P. Flaig
Place:
BP Energy Center
1:00 pm
Reservations: Please make your reservation before noon
th
Tuesday, Feb. 14 , 2012.
Cost:
Seminar only, no meal:
Free
Reserve a box lunch:
$15
Reserve a hot lunch:
$20
Lunch with no reservation:
On an as-available basis only
E-mail reservations:
[email protected]
Or phone (907) 644-4429
For more information: visit the AGS website:
www.alaskageology.org
Laterally extensive, near-vertical exposures at Sagwon
Bluffs
make
detailed
outcrop
investigations
challenging; however, spatial relationships inherent to
February 2012
Page 1
separate, unique lithology: sandstone, mudstone, or
coal. Cumulative probability of lithology vs. intensity
plots indicate that intensities of 255-180 represent
sandstone, 180-95 represent mudstone, and 95-0
represent coal.
Fig. 1. Dallas Dunlap, Research Science Associate at UTAustin, calibrates the Ilris 3-D LiDAR scanner at Sagwon
Bluffs
the LiDAR dataset allow for precise measurement of
channel length, height, and cross-sectional area with
decimeter scale accuracy, even in inaccessible vertical
cliffs. The intensity attribute of the data (power
returned / power emitted) coupled with ground-truthing
of facies can be used to identify lithologies. Statistical
analyses of intensity returns from Sagwon Bluffs
indicate a roughly trimodal distribution. Groundtruthing suggests that each mode represents a
Fig. 2. (A) Color photograph versus (B) LiDAR intensity
attribute image of fluvial sandstone, lacustrine-palustrine
mudstone, and coal at Sagwon Bluffs
Volume 42 Number 6
Simulated, pseudo-gamma ray logs were produced
for 14 vertical data slices from intensity vs. height plots
at locations lacking scree and containing clean
outcrop. Pseudo-gamma ray logs are intended to
mimic the subsurface gamma-ray tool response to
changing lithologies. Model net:gross was calculated
for each slice and provided an improved estimate
relative to calculated net:gross from stratigraphic
columns. Rare North Slope outcrop belts such as
Sagwon Bluffs located near known hydrocarbon
accumulations offer a glimpse into facies, alluvial
architecture, sandbody geometries, and stacking
pattern that is difficult to resolve from seismic and core
alone. Analysis of LiDAR datasets from these outcrops
will enhance geospatial models, improve net:gross
calculations, reduce risk, and increase production.
Fig. 3. Pseudo-gamma ray log produced from Sagwon
Bluffs LiDAR intensity returns
February 2012
Page 2
About the Speaker:
th
Pete was born in Milwaukee during a blizzard on December 28 1968, the same day Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James
Lovell, and William Anders (the first humans ever to see the far side of the moon) were plucked from their space capsule floating in
the South Pacific. Pete began his career as a professional photographer and custom printer. In 2002 he earned a B.S. in Geology
from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). In 2003 Pete was offered a unique opportunity to join a field team in the
central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. During the 2003-2004 Antarctic field season Pete examined a Permian through
Triassic alluvial succession to identify the impetus behind changing facies, flora,
fauna, fluvial style, accommodation, and stacking pattern across the PermianTriassic boundary in the Beardmore Glacier Region of Antarctica. He earned his
M.S. from UWM in 2005. In 2005 a phone call from Paul McCarthy at the University
of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF) changed his life. Pete joined a team of scientists
investigating the dinosaur-bearing Prince Creek Formation, a Cretaceous fluvialdeltaic succession exposed along the Colville River on the North Slope of Alaska.
Pete s role as a sedimentologist was to reconstruct the Cretaceous coastal-plain of
Arctic Alaska, placing the dinosaurs in a paleoenvironmental context. Pete lived in
Fairbanks for 4 years (2005-2009) and attended UAF where he met his wife
Dolores van der Kolk. During this time he also conducted an intern project for
FEX/Talisman in Anchorage involving the integration of surface and sub-surface
data for the Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary of the North Slope State lands. He
received his Ph.D. from UAF in 2010.
Pete moved to Austin, Texas in 2009 to accept a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the
Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin). Pete s
postdoctoral work included continuing research on North Slope fluvial-deltaic and
shallow marine systems, investigations of other Cretaceous Western Interior
Seaway deposits, and examination and expansion of the LiDAR Legacy database
stored at the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). In 2009 Pete and Dolores
acquired the first ground-based LiDAR dataset in northern Alaska at Sagwon Bluffs,
adding to sedimentologic investigations from previous field seasons there. Pete
joined a team of scientists in 2010-2011 for his second Antarctic field season in the
Pete and Dolores, November 2011
central Transantarctic Mountains. Pete and Steve Hasiotis from the University of
Kansas collaborated and expanded on previous work, examining facies and trace
fossil assemblages from the Devonian through the Jurassic with a goal of reconstructing ancient Antarctic ecosystems. Pete
recently accepted a Research Associate position as a sedimentologist-stratigrapher at the BEG, UT-Austin where he is the lead
scientist on fluvial-deltaic studies at the Quantitative Clastics Laboratory (QCL). Pete s current research, in conjunction with
Dolores van der Kolk s Ph.D research, involves understanding facies-changes, ichnofacies variations, and the interfingering
relationship between the continental Prince Creek Formation and shallow marine Schrader Bluff Formation on the North Slope.
th
This summer will mark his 10 field-program on the Slope. Pete also provides expertise and advises graduate students on QCL
consortium company projects and is involved in planning for the next deep field Antarctic camp in the Transantarctic Mountains of
interior Antarctica.
From the President s Desk
As I announced at January s luncheon Steve Wright,
the President-Elect of the Alaska Geological Society,
will be leaving Alaska to accept a new position with
Chevron in the lower 48. Consequently the AGS
board is looking for volunteers to step into Steve s
position. If you have an avid interest in Alaskan
geology, like working with people, and have spare time
to donate to the society, please consider stepping up
to fill the vacancy. Anyone interested can contact me
at [email protected] .
AGS currently stores publications and miscellaneous
material at the Bayview core facility run by
ConocoPhillips. The facility is scheduled for closure
later this year so the board is looking for an alternate
site to permanently store this material. If you know of
Volume 42 Number 6
an appropriate location, hopefully somewhere in
Anchorage with easy access, please contact Peter
Johnson, chairman of the publication committee, at
[email protected] .
This month s luncheon presentation by Peter Flaig of
the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology will be on
The application of LiDAR (Light Detection And
Ranging) technology to outcrop geology with an
example from Sagwon Bluffs on the North Slope of
Alaska . This new technology promises revolutionize
the manner in which outcrops are analyzed, so come
early to get a good seat.
February 2012
-
Page 3
Ken
ALASKA FOSSIL OF THE MONTH
MONOTIS (PACIMONOTIS)
SUBCIRCULARIS GABB, 1864
For most information on this useful I recommend
the following papers provided in the References
cited below.
by Robert B. Blodgett
This month s selection for the Alaska Fossil of the
Month is the widespread index fossil bivalve,
Monotis (Pacimonotis) subcircularis Gabb, which
has long been appearing in faunal lists from
Upper Triassic strata of Alaska. Not only is this
species widespread and abundant throughout
rocks of this age in Alaska (see Figs. 1-4), making
it invaluable in geological mapping, but it is also
commonly found in mass occurrences in many
potentially significant source beds for petroleum
such as the Shublik Formation on the North
Slope, as well as the Kamishak Formation on the
upper Alaska Peninsula. The species was named
by William M. Gabb (1839-1878), a well-known
19th Century geologist, who was a pioneer in
describing many of California s Mesozoic and
Cenozoic age fossils.
The species is the most widespread and the
commonest species among North American
representatives of the genus Monotis. It
stratigraphic occurrence appears to limited to the
lower part (Cordilleranus Zone) the upper Norian
Stage. The Norian, which comprises the medial
stage of the Upper Triassic, ranges from 216.5
2.0 to 203.6 1.5 million years ago. This species
had a paleolatitudinally wide geographic
distribution along the western margin of the
Americas, extending in the north from the
Canadian Arctic Islands south to western margin
of South America as far south as Chile. It occurs
in Alaska both on the craton in east-central
Alaska, as well as in numerous accreted terranes
(or subterranes) throughout the rest of the state.
According to Silberling and others (1997) these
included the following: North Slope, Endicott
Mountains, De Long Mountains, Nixon Fork,
Nyac?, Togiak, Chulitna, Sustina, Nenana,
Stikinia, Wrangellia, Peninsular, and Alexander
terranes (or subterranes).
The widespread
character of monotid bivalves is thought be the
result of a presumed attached-floating mode of
Volume 42 Number 6
life (assumed by most, but not all
paleontologists), attached to objects such as
seaweeds.
REFERENCES
Blodgett, R.B., 2008, Paleontology and
stratigraphy of the Upper Triassic Kamiskak
Formation in the Puale Bay-Cape KekurnoiAlinchak Bay area, Karluk C-4 and C-5
Quadrangle, Alaska Peninsula, p. 131-160,
in Reifenstuhl, R.R., and Decker, P.L., eds.,
Bristol Bay--Alaska Peninsula region,
Overview of 2004--2007 Geologic
Research: Alaska Division of Geological &
Geophysical Surveys Report of
Photo by 2008-1.
James Buchanan
Investigations
Can you name this rock formation?
Blodgett, R.B., 2009, Report on day trip (5/16/07)
to visit Mesozoic rocks exposed in Port
Graham and near Seldovia, southern Kenai
Peninsula, p. 109-116, in LePain, D.L.,
Preliminary results of recent geologic
investigations in the Homer-Kachemak Bay
area, Cook Inlet Basin: Progress during the
2006-2007 field season: Alaska Division of
Geological & Geophysical Surveys
Preliminary Interpretive Report 2009-8C, p.
109-116.
Gabb, W.M., 1864, Description of the Triassic
fossils of California. California Geological
Survey, Paleontology, volume 1, p. 19-35.
Grant-Mackie, J.A., and Silberling, N.J., 1990,
New data on the Upper Triassic bivalve
Monotis in North America, and the new
subgenus Pacimonotis: Journal of
Paleontology, v. 64, p. 240-254.
Martin, G.C., 1916, Triassic rocks of Alaska.
Bulletin of the Geological Society of
America, v. 27, p. 685-718.
February 2012
Page 4
Silberling, N.J., 1963, Field guide to halobiid and
monotid pelecypods of the Alaskan Triassic.
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report
63-119, 10 p., 6 pls.
Silberling, N. J., 1985, Biogeographic
significance of the Upper Triassic bivalve
Monotis in circum-Pacific accreted
terranes, in Howell, D. G., ed.,
Tectonostratigraphic Terranes of the
Circum-Pacific Region: Circum-Pacific
Council for Energy and Mineral Resources
Earth Sciences Series No. 1, p. 63-70.
Silberling, N.J., Grant-Mackie, J.A., and Nichols,
K.M., 1997, The Late Triassic bivalve
Monotis in accreted terranes of Alaska: U.S.
Geological Survey Bulletin 2151, 21 p.
Figure 2. Line drawing for a specimen of Monotis
(Pacimonotis) subcircularis from Puale Bay
(referred to at the time of publication as Cold
Bay ) on the Alaska Peninsula (from Martin,
1916).
Stanton, T.W., and Martin, G.C., 1905, Mesozoic
section on Cook Inlet and Alaska
Peninsula: Bulletin of the Geological
Society of America, v. 16, p. 391-410.
Figure 1. Bedding plane in lower part of
Kamishak Formation at Puale Bay, east (Pacific)
side of the upper Alaska Peninsula, entirely
covered with Monotis (Pacimonotis) subcircularis
(from Blodgett, 2008).
Volume 42 Number 6
Figure 3. Photo of fragmentary specimens of
Monotis (Pacimonotis) subcircularis found in
folded argillite on west side of Port Graham,
Kenai Peninsula, south-central Alaska (photo
from Blodgett, 2009, provided to him by Andrew
Caruthers of University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, B.C.).
February 2012
Page 5
Figure 4. Bedding surface covered with Monotis
(Pacimonotis) subcircularis from the west side of
the Killik River, northern Alaska (from Silberling
and others, 1997, Pl. 7, fig. 5).
A TRIBUTE TO NORMAN J. SILBERLING
(1928-2011)
by Robert B. Blodgett
Norman J. Silberling
Volume 42 Number 6
This note honors Norman J. Silberling, an
outstanding geologist who has done much to
further the knowledge of Alaskan and Cordilleran
tectonics, as well as Triassic paleontology. Norm
was born November 28, 1928 in Oakland,
California and received a Ph.D. in geology at
Stanford University, where he was a student of Si
Mueller. Norm served in the U.S. Navy during the
Korean War and received two combat stars. His
career included work at both the Branch of
Paleontology and Stratigraphy of the U.S.
Geological Survey and on the faculty of Stanford
University. He was pre-eminent for his work on
Triassic ammonoids and flat-clams (including
monotids, Halobia, and Daonella), Triassic
stratigraphy of the western U.S., as well as in
structural geology, where he was one of the early
leading proponents of terrane analysis of the
western North American Cordillera. Together
with Davy Jones, a Cretaceous paleontological
specialist with the USGS, they named the vast
majority
of
tectonostratigraphic
terranes
recognized in Alaska. Norm passed away on
September 27, 2011 in Lakewood, Colorado. He
is survived by his widow, Kathyrn M. Nichols,
also a geologist and long-standing colleague. He
will be sorely missed by a numbers of
paleontologists who have vastly benefited from
his sage and fatherly advice, including myself,
George Stanley, Jr., Christopher McRoberts,
Michael Sandy, Spencer Lucas, and Mike
Orchard, and numerous other Triassophiles.
February 2012
Page 6
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SILBERING PAPERS RELATING TO ALASKAN GEOLOGY
Silberling, N.J., 1963, Field guide to halobiid and monotid pelecypods of the Alaskan Triassic: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File
Report 63-119, 10 p., 6 pls.
Silberling, N.J., and Patton, W.W., Jr., 1964, Triassic rocks of Brooks Range; in Geological Survey Research 1964, Chapt. A.:
U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 501-A, p. A116.
Silberling, N.J., 1965, New zonation of Triassic Shublik Formation, Alaska, in Geological Survey Research 1965, Chapt. A.: U.S.
Geological Survey Professional Paper 525-A, p. A123.
Silberling, N.J., and Tozer, E.T., 1968, Biostratigraphic classification of the marine Triassic in North America. Geological
Society of America Special Paper 110, 63 p.
Armstrong, A.K., MacKevett, E.M., Jr., Jr., and Silberling, N.J., 1969, The Chitistone and Nizina Limestones of part of the
southern Wrangell Mountains a preliminary report stressing carbonate petrography and depositional environments:
U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 650-D, p. D49-D62.
Silberling, N.J., 1971, Geologic events during Permian-Triassic time along the Pacific Margin of the United States (Abs.):
Bulletin of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geology, v. 19, p. 355.
Silberling, N.J., 1973, Geologic events during Permian-Triassic time along the Pacific Margin of the United States, in Logan, A.,
and Hills, L.V., eds., The Permian and Triassic Systems and their mutual boundary: Canadian Society of Petroleum
Geologists Memoir 2, p. 345-362.
Jones, D.L., Silberling, N.J., and Hillhouse, John, 1977, Wrangellia a displaced terrane in northwestern North America:
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 14, no. 11, p. 2565-2577.
Silberling, N.M., Jones, D.L., Scejtey, Bela, and Nelson, W.H., 1978, Interpretive bedrock geologic map of the Upper Chulitna
district, Healy A-6 quadrangle, Alaska Range, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-545.
Jones, D.L., Silberling, N.J., and Hillhouse, J.W., 1978, Microplate tectonics of Alaska Significance for the Mesozoic history of
the Pacific Coast of North America, in McDougall, K.A., and Howell, D.G., eds., Mesozoic paleogeography of the
western United States: Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, Pacific Section, Pacific Coast
Paleogeography Symposium 2, p. 71-74.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., 1979, Mesozoic stratigraphy the key to tectonic analysis of southern and central Alaska: U.S.
Geological Survey Open-File Rept. 79-1200, 37 p.
Jones, D. L., and Silberling, N. J., 1979, Mesozoic accretionary tectonics of southern and central Alaska: Geological Society of
America Abstracts with Programs, v. 11, p. 452.
Silberling, N. J., Richter, D. H., and Jones, D. L., 1979, Recognition of Wrangellia in the Talkeetna and Clearwater Mountains,
northcentral Alaska: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 11, p. 517.
Nichols, K. M., and Silberling, N. J., 1979, Early Triassic (Smithian) ammonites of paleoequatorial affinity from the Chulitna
terrane, south-central Alaska: U.S. Geological Professional Paper 1121-B, p. B1-B5, 3 pls.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., and others 1980, Age and structural significance of ophiolite and adjoining rocks in the Upper
Chulitna district, south-central Alaska: USGS Professional Paper 1121-A, 21 p., 2 pls.
Plafker, George, Hudson, Travis, and Silberling, N. J., 1980, Late Triassic fossils from a sequence of volcanic and sedimentary
rocks on the Chilkat Peninsula, SE Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 804-B, p. 107-110, fig. 49.
Silberling, N. J., and Jones, D. L., 1980, Mesozoic accretionary tectonics of Alaska (abs.): American Association of Petroleum
Geologists Bulletin, v. 64, p. 784.
Coney, P. J., Silberling, N. J., and Jones, D. L., 1980, Accretionary tectonic styles in the Alaska Range (abs.): EOS, v. 61, p.
1114.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., Gilbert, Wyatt, and Coney, P. J., 1980, Age, character, and distribution of accreted terranes in the
central Alaska Range, south-central Alaska (abs.): EOS, v. 61, p. 114.
Silberling, N. J., Richter, D. H., and Jones, D. L., 1981, Recognition of Wrangellia in the Clearwater Mountains and vicinity,
south-central Alaska, p. B51-B55, in Albert, N. R. D., and Hudson, Travis, eds., The United States Geological Survey in
Alaska: Accomplishments during 1979: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 823-B, p. B51-B55.
Coney, P. J., Silberling, N. J., Jones, D. L., and Richter, D. H., 1981, Structural relations along the leading edge of Wangellia in
the Clearwater Mountains, Alaska, p. B56-B59, in Albert, N. R. D., and Hudson, Travis, eds., The United States
Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1979: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 823-B.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., Wardlaw, B. R., and Richter, D. H., 1981, Revised ages of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks in the
Talkeetna quadrangle, south-central Alaska, p. B46-B49, in Albert, N. R. D., and Hudson, Travis, eds., The United
States Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1979: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 823-B.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., Berg, H. C., and Plafker, George, 1981, Tectonostratigraphic terrane map of Alaska: U.S. Geol.
Survey Open-File Rept. 81-792, map, expl. sheet, and 20 p. text.
Silberling, N. J., Richter, D. H., Jones, D. L., and Coney, P. C., 1981, Geologic map of the bedrock parts of the Healy A-1
quadrangle south of the Talkeetna-Broxson Gulch fault system, Clearwater Mountains, Alaska: U.S. Geol. Survey
Open-File Report 81-1288.
Volume 42 Number 6
February 2012
Page 7
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., Berg, H. C., and Plafker, George, 1982, Tectonostratigraphic terrane map of Alaska, p. 105, in
Coonrad, W. L., and Elliott, R. L., eds., The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1980:
U.S. Geological Survey Circular 844.
Silberling, N. J., Wardlaw, B. R., and Berg, H. C., 1982, New paleontologic age determinations from the Taku terrane, Ketchikan
area, southeast Alaska, op cit. p. 117-119, in Coonrad, W. L., and Elliott, R. L., eds., The United States Geological
Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1980: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 844.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., Gilbert, W. G., and Coney, P. J., 1982, Character, distribution, and tectonic significance of
accretionary terranes in the central Alaskan Range: Jour. Geophysical Research, v. 87, no. B5, p. 3709-3717.
Jones, D. L., and Silberling, N. J., 1982, Mesozoic stratigraphy the key to tectonic analysis of southern and central Alaska, in
Leviton, A., et al., eds., Frontiers of geological exploration of western North America: American Assoc. Advancement
of Science, Pacific Div., Symposium, p. 139-153.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., and Coney, P. J., 1982, Timing of major accretionary events in Alaska (Abstract): Eos, v. 63, no.
45, p. 913-914.
Jones, D. L., and Silberling, N. J., 1982, Stratigraphic analysis of accreted terranes in the cordillera of western North America
(Abstract): Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 14, p. 523.
Coney, P. J., Silberling, N. J., and Jones, D. L., 1983, Oceanic crustal telescoping and the growth of continents: accretionary
tectonics in Alaska (Abstract): Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 15, no. 5, p. 427.
Silberling, N. J., and Jones, D. L., 1983, Paleontologic evidence for northward displacement of Mesozoic rocks in accreted
terranes of the western Cordillera (Abstract): Geological Association of Canada, Program with Abstracts v. 8, p. A62.
Jones, D. L., and Silberling, N. J., 1983, Paleobiogeographic significance of Circum-Pacific allochtonous terranes (Abstract):
Bulletin of Marine Science, v. 33, p. 779.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., and Coney, P. J., 1983, Interpretive bedrock geologic map of the Mount McKinley region and
Tectonostratigraphic map of the Mt. McKinley region: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-11, 2 sheets.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., Chapman, R. M., and Coney, P. J., 1984, New ages of radiolarian cherts from the Rampart district,
east-central Alaska, p. 39-43, in Coonrad, W. L., and Elliott, R. L., eds., The United States Geological Survey in Alaska:
Accomplishments during 1981: U.S.Geological Survey Circular 868.
Silberling, N. J., and Jones, D. L., editors, 1984, Lithotectonic terrane maps of the North American Cordillera: U.S. Geological
Survey Open-File Report 84-523, 104 p. text, 4 map sheets at 1:2,500,000.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., Coney, P.J., and Plafker, George, 1984, Lithotectonic terrane map of Alaska (west of the 141st
Meridian) Part A, in Silberling, N. J., and Jones, D. L., eds., Lithotectonic terrane map of the North American
Cordillera: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 84-523, p. A1-A12, map sheet.
Silberling, N. J., 1985, Biogeographic significance of the Upper Triassic bivalve Monotis in Circum-Pacific accreted terranes, in
Howell, D. G., ed., Tectonostratigraphic terranes of the Circum-Pacific region: Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and
Mineral Resources, Earth Science Series, no. 1, p. 63-70.
Nokleberg, W. J., Jones, D. L., and Silberling, N. J., 1985, Origin, migration, and accretion of the Maclaren and Wrangellia
terranes, eastern Alaska Range, Alaska: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 96, p. 1251-1270.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., and Coney, P. J., 1986, Collision tectonics in the Cordillera of western N. America: examples from
Alaska,in Coward, M. P., and Riess, A. C., eds., Collision tectonics: Geological Society (of London) Special Publication
No. 19, p. 367-387.
Silberling, N. J., and Jones, D. L., editors, 1987, Lithotectonic terrane map of (A) Alaska (west of the 141st Meridian), (B)
western Canada and southeastern Alaska, (C) western conterminous United States, and (D) Mexico (west of the 91st
Meridian): U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies, Maps MF-1874-A, -B, -C, and -D.
Jones, D. L., Silberling, N. J., Coney, P. J., and Plafker, George, 1987, Lithotectonic terrane map of Alaska (west of the 141st
Meridian):U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies, Map MF-1874-A.
Dutro, J. T., Jr., and Silberling, N. J., 1988, Megafossil biostratigraphy of some deep test wells, NPRA, northern Alaska, in Gryc,
George, ed., Geology and exploration of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, 1974 to 1982: U.S. Geological
Survey Professional Paper 1399, p. 667-675, pls. 30.1-30.4.
Plafker, George, Blome, C. D., and Silberling, N. J., 1989, Reinterpretation of lower Mesozoic rocks on the Chilkat Peninsula
closer ties with Wrangellia: Geology, v. 17, p. 3-6.
Grant-Mackie, J. A., and Silberling, N. J., 1990, New data on the Upper Triassic bivalve Monotis in North America, and the new
subgenus Pacimonotis: Journal of Paleontology, v. 64, p. 240-254.
Silberling, N. J., Jones, D. L., Monger, J. W. H., and Coney, P. J., 1992, Lithotectonic terrane map of the North American
Cordillera: U.S. Geological Survey Map I-2176, scale 1:5,000,000.
Silberling, N.J., Jones, D.L., Coney, P.J., Berg, H.C., and Plafker, G., 1994, Lithotectonic terrane map of Alaska, in Plafker, G.,
and Berg, H.C., eds., The geology of Alaska: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America, The Geology of North
America, v. G1, pl. 3, scale 1:2,500,000.
Silberling, N.J., Grant-Mackie, J.A., and Nichols, K.M., 1997, The Upper Triassic bivalve Monotis in accreted terranes of Alaska:
U.S.Geological Survey Bulletin 2115, 21 p., 11 pls.
Volume 42 Number 6
February 2012
Page 8
The Alaska Geological Society
LUNCHEON SCHEDULE 2011 - 2012
Updates on the web at:
http://www.alaskageology.org
th
September 2011
Thursday, Sept. 15 , Paul Decker, DNR
Source-Reservoired Oil Resources, North
Slope Alaska
October 2011
Thursday, Oct. 20 , Kristine Crossen and
David Yesner, UAA, Youngest Mammoths
in America: 5700 Year Old Mammoth
Remains from Qagnax Cave, Pribilof
Islands, Alaska
November 2011
Thursday, Nov. 17 , Tom Homza, Shell
Exploration & Production, Toward an
Integrated Model for the Canada Basin:
Implications for North Alaska
December 2011
Thursday, Dec. 8
Tad Smith (SEG 2011
Honorary Lecturer), Apache Corporation,
Practical Seismic Petrophysics: The
Effective Use of Log Data for Seismic
Analysis (Joint meeting AGS / GSA)
January 2012
Thursday, Jan 19
Sue Karl, U.S.
Geological Survey: Rare Earth Element
Deposits, Bokan Mt., SE Alaska
February 2012
Thursday, Feb. 16
Peter Flaig, UTAustin BEG, Application of LiDAR
March 2012
Thursday, Mar. 15
Rodney Graham
(AAPG Distinguished Lecturer), Research
Associate, Cambridge, UK, Exploration in
Fold & Thrust Belts A Personal
Perspective
April 2012
Thursday, Apr. 19
Craig Knutson & Andy
Bond, Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska
Inc., Geology & Reservoirs of the Oooguruk
Field
May 2012
Thursday, May 17
April Parsons, Statoil
(Chukchi Sea topic)
th
th
th
th
th
th
th
th
If you would like to volunteer a talk or would like to
suggest a speaker, please contact Dick Garrard at
644-4429.
Volume 42 Number 6
February 2012
Page 9
Meeting Information
The American Geological Institute provides a
comprehensive list of national and international geoscience
meetings at: http://calendar.agiweb.org
Enhanced Alaska Digital Well Log Data
Since 1989
Local Meetings:
American Water Resources Association Alaska
Section
http://www.awra.org/state/alaska/index.html
Alaska Geological Society
http://www.alaskageology.org
Lunch meetings are held monthly September through May in
Anchorage. For more information, contact Jim Clough, 4515030.
Alaska Miners Association
http://www.alaskaminers.org/
The Anchorage branch of the AMA holds weekly meetings at
7 AM every Friday at the Denny s on Northern Lights and
Denali. They hold regular luncheon meetings in association
with SME. For more information, contact the AMA office at
563-9229.
American Institute of Professional Geologists
http://www.aipg.org
AIPG holds regular quarterly evening Section meetings in
Anchorage and Fairbanks. For more information contact
Mark Lockwood, President, at Shannon & Wilson, Inc., in
Fairbanks, 907-458-3142.
OCS, 95 out of 100 Alaska OCS wells. Mud logs for some.
North Aleutian Basin wells, onshore and offshore.
North Slope, 556 wildcats and key field wells.
Kuparuk River Field, first 567 wells drilled (pre-1985).
Southern Alaska, 1063 wells including all wildcats and many
field wells. Directional surveys for most.
All digital log files
Are depth shifted to match resistivity curves.
Have core data rendered as a depth-shifted well log curve.
Have SP both in original form and as a straightened curve.
Have standardized mnemonics.
Have Volume of Shale curves, derived from gamma ray for
North Slope, derived from SP for Cook Inlet.
Allow you to specify your own choice of mnemonics before
delivery.
Are updated periodically with new wildcat wells.
Are delivered in LAS 2.0 format.
Contact Dan Shier:
Chugach Gem & Mineral Society
http://www.chugachgms.org
CG&MS holds all meetings at the
First United Methodist Church on
th
9 Avenue. Contact their hotline at
566-3403 for information on regular
monthly business meetings,
monthly potlucks, and guidebook
sales, including the new Alaska
Rockhound Guidebook.
303-278-1261
[email protected]
www.rockypine.com
Geophysical Society of Alaska
http://gsa.seg.org/
Luncheon meetings are held
monthly September through May at
the ConocoPhillips Tower. For more
information, contact Daniel Yancey,
[email protected]
Society of Petroleum Engineers
http://alaska.spe.org/
UAS Environmental Science
Program
http://www.uas.alaska.edu/envs
National Association of Geology
Teachers (NAGT)
http://www.nagt
Volume 42 Number 6
February 2012
Page 10
The Alaska Geological Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 101288
Anchorage AK 99510
On the web at:
http://www.alaskageology.org
The Alaska Geological Society is an organization which seeks to
promote interest in and understanding of Geology and the related Earth
Sciences, and to provide a common organization for those individuals
interested in geology and the related Earth Sciences.
This newsletter is the monthly (September-May) publication of the
Alaska Geological Society, Inc. Number of newsletters/month: ~300
EDITOR
Greg Wilson
Alaska Geological Society, Inc.
P. O. Box 101288
Anchorage, AK 99510
e-mail: Gregory.c.wilson at conocophillips.com
(907) 263-4748 (office)
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
AGS annual memberships expire November 1. The annual membership
fee is $20/year. You may download a membership application from the
AGS website and return it at a luncheon meeting, or mail it to the
address above.
Contact membership coordinator Greg Wilson with changes or updates
(e-mail: gregory.c.wilson at conocophillips.com; phone: 907-263-4748)
All AGS publications are now available for on-line purchase on our
website. Check to see the complete catalogue.
http://www.alaskageology.org/publications
ADVERTISING RATES
Advertisements may be purchased at the following rates:
1/10 Page--$190/9mo, $75/1mo; size=1.8 x 3.5 inch
1/4 Page--$375/9mo, $95/1mo; size=4.5 x 3.5 or 2.2 x 7.5 inch
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Full Page--$1000/9mo, $165/1mo; size=7.5 x 9.0 inch
1mo rate=(9mo rate/9)+$50 (rounded up).
Contact Tim Ryherd (907) 269-8771 for advertising information.
Membership Notes
Annual Dues for Membership in AGS are
now $20.00
Membership renewal is Nov. 1st
PRA
3601 C Street, Suite 822
Anchorage, AK 99503
(907) 272- 1232, (907) 272- 1344 (fax)
[email protected] www.petroak.com
Volume 42 Number 6
February 2012
Page 11
2011 - 2012 Alaska Geological Society Board
Note: e-mail addresses now contain at instead of @ Please change to @ when typing.
President
Past-President
President-Elect
Vice-President
Treasurer
Secretary
Director 10-2012
Director 10-2012
Director 10-2012
Director 11-2013
Director 11-2013
Director 11-2013
Ken Helmold
Tom Morahan
Steve Wright
Dick Garrard
Al Hunter
Chad Hults
Lee Ann Munk
Lisa Wright
Kirk Sherwood
Tom Homza
Dave Schoderbek
Jim Brown
Phone
269-8673
e-mail
Ken.helmold at alaska.gov
Workplace
DNR / DOG
230-1672
263-7865
644-4429
777-8324
786-7417
786-6895
263-4823
334-5337
770-3701
265-6010
Tmorahan at petroak.com
Sswr at chevron.com
Rgarrard at talismanusa.com
whunter at hilcorp.com
Chults at usgs.gov
aflm at uaa.alaska.edu
Lisa.H.Wright at conocophillips.com
Kirk.Sherwood at boem.gov
Thomas.Homza at shell.com
David.A.Schoderbek at ConocoPhillips.com
PRA/ConocoPhillips
Chevron
Talisman
Hilcorp
USGS
UAA
ConocoPhillips
BOEM
Shell
ConocoPhillips
Alaska Pacific University
Committees and Delegates
AAPG Delegate
AAPG Delegate &
Advertising
Com. Ed./Science Fair
Field Trips
Bylaws
Memberships
Newsletter Editor
Publications
Scholarship
Website
Fundraising
Arlen Ehm
David Hite
Tim Ryherd
Jana DaSilva Lage
Tom Plawman
Sue Karl
Greg Wilson
Greg Wilson
Peter Johnson
Sue Karl
Jan Hazen
Sunny Foster
333-8880
258-9059
269-8771
677-7883
227-2781
786-7428
263-4748
263-4748
334-5329
786-7428
269-8707
Arlenehm at gci.net
Hitelamb at alaska.net
Tim.ryherd at Alaska.gov
Jldasilva5 at hotmail.com
Tom.plawman at bp.com
Skarl at usgs.gov
Gregory.c.wilson at conocophillips.com
Gregory.c.wilson at conocophillips.com
Peter.Johnson at boem.gov
Skarl at usgs.gov
Jan at homestead-graphics.com
Sunny.Remmy at Alaska.gov
Geological Consultant
Geological Consultant
DNR / DOG
BOEM
BP
USGS
ConocoPhillips Alaska
ConocoPhillips Alaska
BOEM
USGS
Consultant
DNR / DOG
Alaska Geological Society, Inc.
P. O. Box 101288
Anchorage, AK 99510
Redoubt Volcano 2009
Photo: G. Wilson
Volume 42 Number 6
February 2012
Page 12