NPGS Monthly Dinner Meeting—April 6: Karen Loomis—Oil & Gas Exploration in the Permian Basin
Nevada Petroleum & Geothermal Society
Monthly Dinner Meeting
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Subject: Oil & Gas Exploration in the Permian Basin: Play Concepts from the Deep Water and Carbonate Shelf
Speaker: Karen B Loomis, Geologist, Loomis Geologic Consulting, Reno, NV
Abstract: The Permian Basin is located in west Texas and southeast New Mexico, and is a prolific oil and gas producing region. The basin contains one of the world’s thickest deposits of rocks from the Permian period. It also contains a diverse assemblage of Paleozoic-age rocks, including carbonate rocks, sandstone, and shale. The Paleozoic-age shales have become the target for unconventional recovery methods, including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
In this presentation, we will look at the exploration methodologies and geologic evidence for oil and gas in the Pennsylvanian-age Atoka Formation and the Permian-age Wolfcamp Formation. The Atoka Formation historically has been a conventional sandstone reservoir in this area, but here we focus on its potential as a shale resource play. The carbonate facies of the Wolfcamp Formation historically has been a conventional carbonate reservoir. This presentation will focus on the formation’s depositional facies, hydrocarbon shows, and production capacity, and also discuss its potential as an unconventional reservoir.
Hydrocarbon indicators in these formations in the project area include: mudlog shows, cores, DSTs, IP tests, petrophysics, and production. Exploration methodologies that we will discuss include mapping (structural, isopach, net pay), petrophysics, and facies analysis.
Speaker’s Biography: Dr. Karen Loomis specializes in sedimentary basin analysis for solving energy resource and environmental problems. She has worked as a petroleum geologist, environmental scientist, and as an instructor.
Karen earned her B.S. in Geology from UCLA, and her Ph.D. in Geology from Stanford University. She worked at the ARCO Research Lab, ARCO International, and Venoco, where she was a technical lead and manager for several oil and gas research, exploration, and development projects.
Her interdisciplinary approach to basin analysis combines depositional systems analysis, sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, seismic geomorphology, and surface and subsurface mapping. She is skilled at integrating well-log, core, outcrop, paleontologic, petrographic, geochemical, and geophysical data.
While working as an environmental scientist for Kennedy/Jenks Consultants and Tetra Tech, Karen conducted hydrogeologic, water resource, water quality, and alternative water supply studies, and prepared regulatory compliance documents. She also worked on site characterization projects involving soil and groundwater contamination, primarily at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Karen has been an instructor at ARCO Research and Santa Barbara City College, teaching both classroom and field-based courses. In her spare time, Karen enjoys skiing at Mt. Rose, and hiking and backpacking in the eastern Sierra Nevada.
For more information on Karen’s background and publications, please visit her LinkedIn page at linkedin.com/in/karenloomis.
Ramada Reno Hotel
1000 East 6th Street
Reno, NV 89512
Cocktail Reception 6:30 PM, Skyline Bar, 14th Floor
Dinner Served at 7:00 PM
NPGS Members $20, Non-Members $23, Students $10
Please RSVP for the Dinner Meeting by April 4 here.
If you find that you cannot attend, please email Vicki Ehni at vehni@aol.com or call at 775-720-6387.
NPGS will be charged for all no-shows. Thank you for your consideration.