Basin Scale Geologic Processes Impact on Wolfcamp Unconventional Oil Play Elements, Delaware Basin, Reeves County, Texas, by Jay LeBeau

Abstract:     Basin Scale Geologic Processes Impact on Wolfcamp Unconventional Oil Play Elements, Delaware Basin, Reeves County, Texas.

Red Willow Production Company’s investments in the Delaware Basin has provided an opportunity for the geology, engineering and land staff to witness and participate in a unconventional oil play from inception to full development; the Wolfcamp Oil Play, Reeves County Texas.  This oil play began as a vertical tight oil play that commingled Wolfcamp and Bone Spring formations and has transitioned into a horizontal play focused on the Wolfcamp source rocks.

Participation in Core Labs “Avalon-Wolfcamp” and Colorado School of Mines “MUDTOC” consortiums; development of Red Willow’s proprietary petrophysical models; and participation in hundreds of vertical and horizontal well in the play has led the author to conclude basin scale geologic processes control  source rock oil play elements demonstrating basic geology principals, mapping techniques, and “knowing your basin” are essential for success in finding and developing unconventional oil plays.

Pennsylvanian, Permian and Tertiary Tectonic events impact on the Delaware Basin include; 1) segmentation of the Delaware Basin into a north and south basin 2) formation of carbonate platform, slope and basin depositional environments; 3) complex burial history impacts on source rock maturities and 5) overpressure creation and preservation

Platform slope to basin depositional environments impact on reservoir lithology, organic content, porosity and permeability is revealed in proprietary petrophysical models linked to unconventional core analysis databases.

Core data and petrophysical models also demonstrate the impact of early Permian paleogeography and provenance to basin scale sedimentation patterns.    Sedimentation from the north and south into the Delaware Basin show the influence of the Pedernal and Marathon highlands respectively.  Carbonate debris flows and calciturbidites show the influence of the carbonate platform sedimentation from the east and west into the basin.

Biography
Jay has worked for Red Willow Production Company in Ignacio Colorado as a staff geologist since 2006 on a variety of exploration projects focused on unconventional oil and gas plays in the San Joaquin, Williston and Delaware Basins. For the last 3 years, Jay has held the Geoscience Manager position at Red Willow working with the geoscience staff on exploration and development projects in the Delaware, San Juan and Powder River Basins.

In 2004, Jay worked for Apache Corporation in Tulsa focused on Permian reef development drilling projects on the Central Basin Platform of the Permian Basin. Jay graduated from Kansas University with a MS in Geology in 1996 and began working for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation in Houston Texas focused on “Golden Trend” Paleozoic tight oil development projects in the Anadarko Basin. Development geology assignments followed in the East Texas Basin “Bossier” tight deep gas play and shallow shelf Tertiary projects in the Gulf of Mexico.

Jay began his petroleum geology career in 1992 providing geologic support for a Teapot Dome Shannon shallow light oil steam flood drilling program managed by the DOE in the Powder River Basin.

Jay graduated from Fort Lewis College Durango Colorado in 1988 with a BS Degree in Geology.

Schedule

• 5:30pm – Social
• 6:00pm – Dinner
• 6:30pm – Lecture