Shale Shaker Vol 71, No 5 September-October 2020

Shale Shaker Vol 71, No 5 September-October 2020

$12.00 U.S.

V OLUME 71 N UMBER 5 T HE J OURNAL OF THE O KLAHOMA C ITY G EOLOGICAL S OCIETY ~ September | October 2020 ~

Woodford Shale Mercury Anomalies from the McAlister Cemetery Quarry, Oklahoma: A North American Test of the Volcanic-Trigger Hypothesis for Late Devonian Mass Extinctions

And Much More.

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The Journal of the Oklahoma City Geological Society Volume 71 Number 5

The Shale Shaker The Shale Shaker is published under the oversight of members of the OCGS Publications Committee, who are responsible for all of the editorial and technical content. Publication production assistance provided by: ART DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Theresa Andrews, Visual Concepts and Design, Inc. [email protected]

OCGS Board Officers President – Patrick Kamann [email protected] Vice President – Mallory Zelawski [email protected] Treasurer – Drew Dressler [email protected] Secretary – Cole Hinds [email protected] Education Chair – Rosie Gilbert [email protected] Social Chair – Galen Miller [email protected] Social Media Chair – Britni Watson [email protected] Website Chair – Julian Michaels [email protected] Publications Chair – Dan Costello [email protected] Past President – Steve Ladner [email protected] Councilor – Doug Bellis doug.bellis@warwick-energy Membership Chair – Mark Oerkerman [email protected]

Directors Lesley Evans [email protected]

AAPG House of Delegates John Brett [email protected] AAPG Mid-Continent Section Representative Michael Bone [email protected]

OCGS OFFICES 3409 S. Broadway, Suite 804 Edmond, OK 73013 Phone: (405) 235-3648 | Fax: (405) 235-1766 Website: www.ocgs.org Staff Michelle Hone [email protected]

September ~ October 2020 | Page 177

The Journal of the Oklahoma City Geological Society Table of Contents

Shale Shaker Features

180 Oklahoma's Energy Industry; Patrick Kamann, President, OCGS Board of Directors

188

Woodford Shale Mercury Anomalies from the McAlister Cemetery Quarry, Oklahoma: A North American Test of the Volcanic-Trigger Hypothesis for Late Devonian Mass Extinctions; Andrew Cullen, Freelance Scientist

182

Letter from the Editor; Dan Costello, Editor

184

OCGS Membership/New Members

206

State of the Industry; Dan Costello

184

OCGS Up-Coming Events

208

Advertisers Index

185

Announcement - OCGS Fall Sporting Clay Tournament

About the Cover Theresa Andrews created the cover of the Shale Shaker. COVER PHOTO: Kerogen-filled fractures transverse to a bedding plane at McAlister Cemetery Quarry near Marietta, OK. The orientation of fractures evokes a comparison to diagrams of a multi-stage hydraulically- fractured horizontal well. At this location the Woodford Shale has an average Ro 0.54% (Paxton and Cardott, 2008) which seems too immature to invoke fracturing during hydrocarbon generation. It is more likely that the bitumen is filling pre-existing fractures.

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C

C R A W L E Y P E T R O L E U M

Turning Prospects into Production

105 N. Hudson, Suite 800 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 (405) 232-9700

Allen Peacock [email protected]

September ~ October 2020 | Page 179

Letter from the OCGS President

By: Patrick Kamann, President, OCGS Board of Directors

companies making the same tough deci- sions. Low oil prices along with investor interest in low growth with strong returns to the shareholders, have led to many companies determining they don’t need or can’t maintain their staff levels of 2019. To give you a feel for the current state of the industry, the Oct. 9 th Baker Hughes US rig count was at 269 rigs, 587 rigs less than one year ago. Oklahoma accounted for 12 of those rigs. Additionally, on Sept. 28 th we saw the announcement of a merger between Devon Energy and WPX Energy. The merger of equals is exciting news for the two companies. The combined com- pany will produce around 277,000 barrels of light oil a day and will be the fourth largest independent oil and gas company in the US. It is great to have Devon main- tain an office in Oklahoma City, however I recognize that the merger also brings much uncertainty for employees. The merger will result in $275 MM in cost synergies and the combined G&A of the companies will be reduced. At the shrimp boil in September, I was able to visit with a few folks who have been impacted by the reductions in the industry this year. It

was great to catch up and hear plans for their next step in life. I would like to en- courage you to reach out to someone that has been impacted by the industry reduc- tions. I believe and hope simple acts of kindness and just being available goes a long way for those searching for their next job. OCGS Update The OCGS will hold two additional virtual luncheons in 2020. In October, Nikolaus Svihlik from Impac Exploration Services will be giving a talk on Wolfcamp TMAX suppression, and in November, Molly Turko will give a talk on structures in the Wichita Uplift and Southeast Anadarko Basin. The Golf Tournament will be held at the Greens Country Club on November 2 nd . Additionally, the Fall Sporting Clays shoot is scheduled for November 20 th at Quail Ridge Sporting Clays. Both the clay shoot and golf tournament allow for a little more social distancing outside, and we ask people to wear masks when they are near others. We hope to see you at these events.

Patrick Kamann

Oklahoma’s Energy Industry We have seen a lot of changes in our per- sonal and professional lives in 2020, and the past few months have been no excep- tion. In Oklahoma City, we saw two ma- jor geoscience employers go through sig- nificant staff reductions, with several other

Page 180 | Volume 71 Number 5

Weston Resources, Inc. Michael Weston Smith Geologist 2500 South Broadway, Suite 220 Edmond, Oklahoma 73013 (405) 203 6866 [email protected]

DICK HOWELL Sales Manager 405.315.4206 [email protected] www.columbinelogging.com

Travis Wilson Bluestem Resources, LLC Consulting Geophysicist 2D & 3D Seismic Interpretation

Kathy Lippert

Geological Mapping & Prospect Generation [email protected] 405.229.6563 3750 W. Main, Suite #230 Norman, OK 73072

405.848.3750 fax: 848.5932 cell: 229.4070

1000 W. Wilshire Blvd.

Suite 345

email: [email protected] www.gsenvironmental.com

Oklahoma City, OK 73116

September ~ October 2020 | Page 181

By: Dan Costello, Editor Letter from the Editor

over time and the nation’s energy produc- tion relative to its consumption. Figure 1 shows the annual consumption of the primary forms of energy within the U.S., along with their relative percentages. Consumption of petroleum, natural gas, and renewables have increased over time, largely an effect of population growth. As I showed in last issue, per-capita en- ergy use for all these fuel types is actu- ally decreasing over time. Coal’s drop is quite dramatic, and largely compensated by corresponding increases in natural gas and renewables. Nuclear energy growth has stagnated since the mid-90s, and will begin to decline in coming years as sev- eral plants are scheduled for decommis- sioning. Similar to coal, these drops will be compensated by rises in renewables and natural gas. At current trends, natural gas consumption will overtake petroleum within the next 10 years. Renewables are also set to surge, as shown by the map in Figure 2. The number of wind and solar plants coming online over the next year

greatly outstrips the natural gas power plants. Due to this rise in natural gas and renew- ables, domestic energy production has grown ~40% over the past 15 years. Over the same time period, total energy con- sumption is relatively flat. This combina - tion of trends led to 2019 being the first year since 1957 where production out- stripped consumption and energy exports surpassed energy imports (Figure 3). The pace of this change is quite dramatic, as net imports’ share of consumption peaked at 30% in 2005. The events of the past year will certainly have an effect on these energy production and usage trends, and it is too soon to tell if domestic energy production will resume prior levels following the re-opening of the economy. The US land rig count is at a fraction of what it was a year ago, and Oklahoma was hit relatively hard as operators focus on the Permian and pure natural gas plays.

Dan Costello

In last issue’s letter from the editor, I not- ed the sudden changes in domestic energy production as a result of the economic shutdown related to the COVID-19 pan- demic. These changes were unexpected and drastic, yet will likely regress to pre- COVID trends within a year or two. Today I would like to review these existing lon- ger term trends, specifically the relative consumption of different energy sources

Figure 1

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Figure 2

Figure 3

September ~ October 2020 | Page 183

OCGS Membership & New Members

SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP _____________________________________________________________________________ As of 10/14/2020 OCGS 403 Active 67 Associate 16 Emeritus 9 Honorary 16 Students _____ 511 TOTAL

WILL TALLEY RAPTOR CONSULTING DYLAN MORTON OSU STUDENT NEW MEMBERS _____________________________________________________________________________

NOVEMBER 2, 2020 - GOLF TOURNAMENT AT THE GREENS GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB NOVEMBER 20, 2020 - OCGS FALL SPORTING CLAYS SHOOT AT QUAIL RIDGE SPORTING CLAYS

Page 184 | Volume 71 Number 5

OCGS FALL SPORTING CLAY TOURNAMENT FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2020 8:00 am - 12:00 pm QUAIL RIDGE SPORTING CLAYS 2401 S MCLOUD RD (HWY 102 NORTH) MCLOUD OK COST: $100 PER PERSON/$400 PER 4 MAN TEAM NOTE: TEAM MEMBERS DO NOT HAVE TO BE OCGS MEMBERS Contact Michelle for sponsorship opportunities: [email protected] TOLEDO MUD LOGGING WILL PROVIDE LUNCH DEADLINES: LAST DAY TO REGISTER – MONDAY NOVEMBER 16, 20120 LAST DAY TO BE A GUARANTEED SIGN SPONSOR – NOVEMBER 13, 2020 LINK TO REGISTER: https://www.ocgs.org/events/m.calendar/51/index/2020/11/20

September ~ October 2020 | Page 185

Page 186 | Volume 71 Number 5

WhatYou Missed

Top SecretWWII project sends Oklahoma drillers into British oilfield, cont. Roughn cks of Sherwood Forest

CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING

We’re proud to highlight our efforts to set high standards as a neighbor, community partner, environmental steward and employer. It’s all in our new Sustainability Report. devonenergy.com/sustainability

@DevonEnergy

September ~ October 2020 | Page 187

By: AndrewCullen, Freelance Scientist, Norman, Oklahoma USA Oil and Gas Exploration

Woodford Shale Mercury Anomalies from the McAlister Cemetery Quarry, Oklahoma: A North American Test of the Volcanic-Trigger Hypothesis for Late Devonian Mass Extinctions

Introduction : Charles Darwin (1859) and other naturalists of the 18 th and 19 th Centuries recognized extinctions as an important part of earth’s history. In reac- tion against Catastrophism, the notion of rapid mass extinctions proposed by Cuvi- er (1813) was generally discounted in fa- vor of a more gradualistic approach in line with notional rates of evolution and spe- ciation in which extinctions only appeared to be rapid owing to the incomplete nature of the rock record. Whilst early work on Phanerozoic biodiversity trends pointed towards an overall increase in biodiversity with occasional rapid decreases (Figure 1a) the mass extinction and biodiversity debate continued well into the 20 th Centu- ry (Figures 1b and 1c) when sufficient age control, a century of accumulated studies, and application of statistical techniques demonstrated that sudden mass extinction events have occurred numerous times dur- ing the Phanerozoic. The quantification of extinctions is rife with difficulties. One must consider pres - ervation potential (marine vs. non-marine settings), the completeness of the rock record (especially in older successions), comparative extinctions at the family, genera, and species level, and quite impor- tantly what metric(s) to use. One useful metric is the extinction percentage (Figure 2a). However, because biodiversity has increased through the Phanerozoic simply measuring number of extinctions can be misleading because in younger sequences there were more families, genera, and spe- cies to start with. Conversely, the percent- age of extinctions in older sequences can be distorted by the fact the denominator (number of species) is smaller. When re- ordered by magnitude the percent extinc- tion >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36

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