Blakeney DeJarnett, Beverly1, Laura C. Zahm1
(1) The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, The Houston Research
Center, Houston, TX
ABSTRACT: Cores and Cuttings - An Extraordinary Resource
Rocks provide the closest thing to ground truth that geoscientists have, and taking
advantage of this extraordinary resource by integrating cores and cuttings whenever
possible can dramatically enhance our technical interpretations. First, cores give us the
chance to plug reality into our models. This includes three-dimensional reservoir
modeling, production modeling, geophysical modeling, and modeling for technologically
advanced logging tools. Cores are also our only direct glimpse at the reservoirs beneath
our feet, and they allow geoscientists to update and improve stratigraphic interpretations
of these reservoirs.
This core display features spectacular examples of several siliciclastic depositional
systems from the Bureau’s teaching collection. (See Zahm and DeJarnett poster for
carbonates.) Cores include a valley-fill reservoir from Colorado, a deep-water sandstone,
and a tidally affected, wave-dominated shoreface succession from the Cretaceous Western
Interior Seaway. Case studies accompany each core and illustrate how the acquisition and
analysis of each core and the subsequent integration of core-derived data directly
affected the exploration and/or exploitation of each particular reservoir.
The Houston Research Center is the Bureau’s newest core facility, and it houses more
than 450,000 boxes of cores and cuttings. These rocks have been acquired by industry over
many years and are now available to the public for the first time. Recognizing the
importance of preserving and curating this invaluable resource, the Bureau maintains more
than 1.7 million boxes of rock material in Austin, Midland, and Houston. An online
database for all the Bureau facilities makes it easy to search for and locate cores of
interest.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90026©2004 AAPG Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, April 18-21, 2004.