Canyon and Slope-channel Systems: Analogues for the West African Margin (Brushy Canyon Formation, Southeast New Mexico and West Texas)​

The course will examine the depositional facies and stratal geometries developed in deepwater slope and channel environments.

Description

This field course is designed for geoscientists and engineers exploring and developing deepwater clastic reservoirs with a particular focus on analogues for the West African margin. The course will examine the depositional facies and stratal geometries developed in deepwater slope and channel environments and the controls on reservoir presence and quality.

Duration and Logistics

A five-day field course beginning and ending in El Paso, Texas. Most training will take place through observation and discussion in the field.

Course Content

This schedule may be subject to change due to weather conditions and technical objectives.

Day 1

Participants arrive at El Paso Airport, transfer to Carlsbad, New Mexico

  • Check-in followed by course introduction/geological overview and safety briefing

Group dinner at local restaurant

Overnight Carlsbad, New Mexico

Day 2

Morning briefings before departure

  • Technical objectives for the day and key safety points

Depart Carlsbad for a full day in the field

  • Field Stop: Observations from the roadside viewpoint and El Capitan
  • Field Stops: Rest Stop Gulley. Hike down to gulley to the southwest to visit and sub-locations along gulley. Approximately 2.5 mile round trip.
  • Lunch: Box lunch in the field
  • Field Stop: Channel-levee Roadcut. Roadcut observations. Hike down into the channel levee

Group dinner at local restaurant

Overnight Carlsbad, New Mexico

Day 3

Morning briefings before departure:

  • Technical objectives for the day and key safety points

Depart Carlsbad for a full day in the field

  • Field Stops: Guadalupe Canyon detailed examination
  • Lunch: Box lunch in the field
  • Field Stop: Guadalupe Canyon overview. Hike up to overview stop

Free evening

Overnight Carlsbad, New Mexico

Day 4

Morning briefings before departure:

  • Technical objectives for the day and key safety points

Depart Carlsbad for a full day in the field

  • Field Stops: Brushy Bench Channels. Hike and overview
  • Lunch: Box lunch in the field
  • Field Stop: Time permitting Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Centre
  • Stop at point of interest, near to ‘Bat Cave Draw’

Group dinner at local restaurant

Overnight Carlsbad, New Mexico

Day 5

Check out. Morning session and briefings before departure

  • Wrap-up session
  • Technical objectives for the day and key safety points

Depart Carlsbad for travel to El Paso with field stops en route

  • Field Stop: Castille Formation Roadcut and/or Rader Debris Flow
  • Lunch: Box lunch in the field
  • Course evaluation and wrap-up

Arrive back in El Paso for mid-afternoon

Conclusion of the course, field party transported to El Paso airport

Tutor(s)

Art Saller (independent)

Exertion Level

This class requires a DIFFICULT exertion level. Fieldwork is in west Texas and southeast New Mexico, where the weather is arid and usually hot, although cold and wet weather is possible in the spring and fall, when daily temperatures range from 5–25°C (40–80°F). The course includes a hike of around 10 km/6 miles with an ascent of 500m (1600 ft), and shorter hikes, frequently over very steep and uneven ground. Transport on the course will be by coach. Most of the driving is on black-top roads, with some driving on graded dirt roads.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Comprehend the relative incisional nature of canyon and slope channel-complexes, their aspect-ratios and how they correspond to slope position.
  2. Understand channel-complex hierarchical terminology, stacking patterns and implications for reservoir connectivity.
  3. Appreciate different deep-water facies types, their distribution and reservoir characteristics within different architectural elements.
  4. Realize the complex distribution & variability of thin-beds in deep-water systems and the significance of their non-unique interpretations.

Level and Audience

Intermediate. The course is aimed at geoscientists, petrophysicists, reservoir engineers and production engineers working deepwater clastic reservoirs, particularly those from the Western Africa margin.

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