24th Annual GCSSEPM Foundation Bob F. Perkins
Research Conference

Salt-Sediment Interactions and Hydrocarbon Prospectivity:

Concepts, Applications, and Case Studies for the 21st Century

Houston Marriott Westchase (formerly Adams Mark Hotel), December 5-8, 2004
Houston, Texas

Salt bodies are often associated with hydrocarbon deposits, which may ultimately result in profits. This simple observation, made early in the history of oil and gas exploration, has led to an ongoing focus on understanding the interrelationship between salt, sediment, and hydrocarbons. In the late 1980's, the paradigm of "rooted" salt representing economic basement began to change. During the 1990's, enthusiasm spawned by subsalt and world-class salt-related discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico fostered a surge in exploration in salt basins throughout the world. The GCSSEPM recognized the complexity of salt tectonics and evolving concepts associated with the role of salt in petroleum systems at Research Conferences in 1989 and 1995. Our concepts and models of salt, sediment, and hydrocarbons continue to evolve. Therefore, we believe it is time to reassess the state of our knowledge with the 24th Annual GCSSEPM Foundation Bob F. Perkins Research Conference, "Salt-Sediment Interactions and Hydrocarbon Prospectivity: Concepts, Applications, and Case Studies for the 21st Century".

This conference represents an international event with authors from Australia, Brazil, France, Great Britain, Norway, Poland, Scotland, and the United States. Papers will be presented in the following areas: New Techniques in Modeling, Salt Body Delineation, Diapirs and Diapirism, Extension and Inversion, The Role of Salt in Regional & Basin-scale Tectonics, Salt in Contractional Settings (Foldbelts), Salt in the Gulf of Mexico - General, Salt-Sediment Interaction, Salt and Hydrocarbons, and Shale Tectonics. The conference CD will be a valuable reference containing manuscripts from each author, including those providing only poster sessions.

2004 BFP Conference Program and Abstracts (pdf - 3.5 mb)

Oral Presenters - Final instructions, please review (Word doc)!

As currently planned, this conference will take place over three days. As in the past, the conference registration fees will include lunches Monday through Wednesday, and refreshments at all breaks. In conjunction with the evening poster sessions there will be a Welcoming Reception Sunday evening, a hot buffet Monday evening, and a Tuesday evening beer, wine, and snacks. For GCSSEPM members, who are current in their dues, early registration (before November 15, 2004) will be $350. Early registration for non-members is $375. Registration after November 15, 2004 is $400 for all attendees. For the first time we will offer a senior discount rate to members 70 and older of $200 for registration before November 15th. A limited number of student registrations may be available for $200. However, because of expected space demands, these will not be available until after November 15, 2004. We are limited in space and expect this conference to sell out. Please register early! (Note: Current in dues means a 2005 or later expiration. Cancellation Policy: Before 11/15/04, $75 charge; 11-16-11/27, $125 charge if we have a replacement. No refunds will be granted for cancellations after 11/28/04. Substitution of individuals within a company is acceptable with no charge.) If you would like to join the section, check join section box and you will be charged member rate +$10 for one year of dues. This will still save you $15.00! Members who are behind in their dues will be charged the nonmember rate unless they check the join section box, in which case they will be charged accordingly to bring their membership up-to-date.

SESSION TOPICS

EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL MODELING: PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THEORY

• Theoretical aspects and their implications for salt tectonics
• Experimental modeling and its application to subsurface prediction of salt tectonics
• Numerical modeling - What is its place in the world of exploration and production?
• Geometric/kinematic modeling

REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF SALT STYLES

• What does salt tell us about plate tectonics and basin evolution?
• Aspects of linked systems, e.g., rollers, diapirs, turtles, salt-stock canopies, salt-tongue canopies, nappes, contractional folds, expulsion rollovers, etc., and their relationship to hydrocarbon prospectivity
• Effects of salt styles on hydrocarbon prospectivity - Why do some salt styles host giant fields? Which ones?

SALT BODY DELINEATION

• Current concepts and methods of seismic acquisition/processing and interpretation
• Velocity model-building tools & migration algorithms - improved depth imaging has led to recent deepwater subsalt discoveries, e.g., Thunder Horse, Mad Dog, Atlantis, Llano, K2/Timon, Champlain, and Tahiti
• Integration of potential field and seismic data
• The interpreter's role in seismic imaging

SALT-SEDIMENT RELATIONSHIPS

• Mini-basin genesis and evolution
• Supra-salt, subsalt - related to early, now-vanished, salt canopies
• Response of sediment depositional patterns to salt, and salt to sedimentation ("the chicken and the egg") - What do we know about the interaction of various depositional systems (fluvial, shallow water, and deep water), and the resulting hydrocarbon reservoirs with salt bodies of various types - do different types of salt bodies influence sediment dispersal and facies patterns differently? What do we know about depositional systems and reservoirs that are currently subsalt?
• The nature of salt-sediment contact zones - diapir-flank effects, drag zones, shale sheaths, unconformity patterns, drape folds, fault patterns, carapaces and shear zones, etc.

SALT AND HYDROCARBONS

• Thermal effects of salt on hydrocarbon generation, expulsion and migration of underlying and overlying source intervals.
• The evolution of salt bodies, flanks, and welds and their effects on hydrocarbons - "timing is everything" - Salt as a significant factor in petroleum system analysis. Can we determine when a salt body, flank, base, and/or weld acts as a cross-stratal migration conduit, a migration focus, a hydrocarbon seal, etc., during its evolution? How can we determine this? Does this affect charge risk for various trap styles?

REGIONAL AND CASE STUDIES OF TECHNIQUES, FIELDS, ETC.

• Gulf of Mexico (U.S. and Mexico), North Atlantic (Scotian margin, Morocco), South Atlantic (Brazilian and West African basins), North Sea, Mediterranean, Gulf of Suez/Red Sea, Caspian, and the Persian Gulf

OTHER ASPECTS OF SALT TECTONICS AND COMPARISON OF SALT/SHALE TECTONICS

• Minerals exploration
• Geomechanics and engineering, drilling, casing and completion of subsalt wells
• Pressure regimes around salt bodies (e.g., Current observations on the "gumbo zone"?)
• Shale diapirs, gravitational shale-detached deformation, etc. (e.g., Nigeria, Trinidad, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Kazakhstan)

Questions or Comments about GCSSEPM?

Send us e-mail and we will get back to you as soon as we can.