11	GSTT UPDATE

· A Bibliography on Trinidad Petroleum Geology has been compiled by K.Rodrigues and has been distributed to most members of the GSTT and relevant institutions.

· A GSTT Petroleum Engineering School was conducted by A. Russell, senior petroleum engineer at Trintoc, from 18 - 22 January, 1988. The school was attended by 15 participants from the various oil companies and institutions and all reports indicate that the school was a resounding success. GSTT schools scheduled for 1988/1989 are:
Basin Analysis - Dr. I. Lerche -(University of South Carolina)
Petroleum Economics and Risk Analysis - A. Russell (Trintoc)
Organic Geochemistry in Petroleum Exploration Dr. K. Rodrigues (Trintoc)

· The Technical Sub-committee has been quite active in offering monthly technical sessions to GSTT members:

Nov. 17, 1987 Basin Analysis in Oil Exploration - Some Brazilian examples. Dr. F. Falkenhein (Trintoc)

Nov 25 1987 - Biological Markers in Petroleum Geochemistry: Dr. F. Cassini (Intevep S.A.).
Geochemical Studies in Venezuelan Basins: 0. Gallango (Intevep S.A.)

Feb. 3, 1988 The Bucco Reef Complex: R. Laydoo (Institute of Marine Affairs)

Mar. 9, 1988 - An Overview of Natural gas in Trinidad and Tobago: A. Russell (Trintoc)

Mar. 16, 1988 Regional Tectonics in the Southeastern Corner of the Caribbean Plate: Dr. R. Speed (Northwestern University, Illinois).

Apr. 19, 1988 - Practical Applications of Sequence Stratigraphy: Dr. R. Mitchum (Exxon). Structural Styles
Analysis: Dr. C.C. Wielchowsky (Exxon)
A technical session on local and regional Plate Tectonics by Drs. K. Persad and J. Pindell is scheduled for June/July, 1988.

· The Executive of the GSTT is in the process of negotiating with TRINTOC to secure the lease of a building for use as an office to store the Society's assets and to hold technical meetings. The house at No. 3 Beaumont Hill, which was leased to the Society in 1987 (see report in October 1987 GSTT Newsletter No. 10), has never been utilised due to its state of disrepair and its insecure location.

· The Executive of the GSTT has decided that steps should be taken to change the legal status of the Society from a limited liability Company to a Non-Profit Organisation. The act to effect this change is being drafted and will be referred to Parliament soon.

· The GSTT would like to obtain a list of all unemployed geologists so as to be able to locate them should any employment opportunities arise in future GSTT related activities. In this regard it is suggested that all unemployed geologists should register with the GSTT as soon as possible by contacting the Secretary (V. Young On at 649-5500) or the Treasurer (D. Mahraj at 658-4220, ext. 2111).



· UPCOMING EVENTS: A GSTT Technical Seminar is scheduled for the afternoons (1-4 p.m.) of July 13-15, 1988 and the preliminary program is outlined below. The seminar is open to GSTT members and there is no registration fee.
DAY 1: STRATIGRAPHY:
Mahadeo Lutchman, Chairman.

(1) The Significance of Benthonic and Planktonic Foraminifera in the Stratigraphic Nomenclature of
Trinidad and Tobago Dr. John Frampton.
(2) Onshore/Offshore Correlation on the East Coast of Trinidad - Gene Rohr.
(3) Seismic Stratigraphic Applications in the Trinidad/Eastern Venezuela Basin Eric Williams.
(4) Recent Sedimentation Patterns in Trinidad and Tobago - Derek Hudson.

Refreshment Break/Discussion.

DAY 2: STRUCTURE: Wayne Bertrand, Chairman.

(1) Middle Miocene Tectonics in Trinidad - Examples and Possible Causes - Timothy Gabriel.
(2) End Eocene Tectonics in Trinidad and Eastern Venezuela - Clement Ramroop -
(3) Plio-Pleistocene Tectonics in Trinidad -- A Model Llewellyn Tyson.
(4) The Distribution of Earthquake Epicentres in the S.E. Caribbean and their Clues to possible Plate Boundaries - Dr. Keith Rowley.

Refreshment Break/Discussion -

DAY 3: PETROLEUM GEOLOGY:
Ken Birchwood, Chairman.

(1) Modem Concepts of Hydrocarbon Migration Dr. Kirton Rodrigues.

(2) Trapping Mechanisms in the Trinidad/Eastern Venezuela Area -Winston Mi.

(3) Modern Techniques of Petroleum Exploration - Dr. Frank Falkenhem.

(4) Reservoir Rock Properties of Trinidad Formations - Allan Russell.

Refreshment Break/Discussion and Closing Remarks.


· 12th CARIBBEAN GEOLOGICAL
C9NFERENCE: 7 - 11 August, 1989,
Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin
Islands. The First Circular was distributed in March 1988 with a preliminary Registration Form. Field trips to Antigua, Puerto Rico, St. Eustatius and St. Croix will be offered before and after the Conference. The Second Circular is scheduled for late summer 1988. Abstracts of papers for presentation are due before December 31, 1988 and details of format will appear in the Second Circular. All communications should be addressed to:

Dr. Frederick Nagle,
General Chairman,
12th Caribbean Geological Conference
do Department of Geological Sciences
P.O. Box 249176, University of Miami,
Coral Gables, Florida, 33124, U.S.A.

· 28th INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS: 9 - 19 July, 1988, Washington D.C., U.S.A.
The Second Circular was distributed in February, 1988 and can be requested from:

28th International Geological Congress, P.O. Box 727, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74101, U.S.A.

Abstract submission deadline is October 1, 1988 and pre-registration deadline is February 1, 1989. The Third Circular will be distributed in April, 1989. Registration forms and all payments due are to be sent to the above address. All other inquiries and general correspondence concerning the Congress should be addressed to:

Dr. Bruce B. Hanshaw,
Secretary General,
28th International Geological Congress~
P.O. Box 1001,
Herndon, Virginia 22070-1001, U.S.A.

· RECENT ADVANCES IN CARIBBEAN GEOLOGY CONFERENCE: 18-20 November, 1988, Kingston, Jamaica. To mark the 40th Anniversary year of the University of the West Indies, the UWI geological department in collaboration with the Geological Society of Jamaica is organizing a three-day conference on the subject of "Recent Advances in Caribbean Geology" and an "Alumni Dinner".
The Conference invites papers high-lighting the results of recent research on any aspect of geosciences in the Caribbean. Papers dealing with natural hazards, environmental geology and application of geosciences in the Caribbean are specially welcome.
Proceedings of this Conference will be published as a Special Commemorative Volume by the Geological Society of Jamaica. A special feature of this Conference will be a panel discussion focussing on the following areas:

- Teaching/Training of Geoscientists in the Caribbean - Is it adequate for local needs?

- Employment for Geoscientists in the Caribbean.

Further details will be provided in the Second Circular. Deadline for submission of Abstracts is June 15, 1988. Registration and Booking forms are available from the Secretary or Treasurer of the GSTT.

· FIELD TRIPS: Field Trips scheduled for 1988 are: (1) San Fernando/ Central Range area by J. Keens-Dumas (July/August) and (2) Downtown Pont of Spain - to examine the use of different rock types for construction and decorative purposes on buildings in downtown Port of Spain, by Dr. R. Bertrand (August).

· 2nd GEOLOGICAL CONFERENCE OF THE GSTT: 1990, Port of Spain, Trinidad. Preliminary work is in
progress to stage this Conference in 1990, 5 years after the inaugural GSTT Geological Conference in 1985.


MEMORABILIA

THE INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM


The first Annual Dinner of the Institute of Petroleum Technologists (Trinidad Branch) was held on October
24th 1931 at the Queen's Park Hotel. This was the same year the parent body in London, which was founded in 1913 by a group of 29 leading technologists in the petroleum industry, was hosting its 13th Annual Dinner.
Both the guest list and the menu at the 1931 dinner in Port of Spain make interesting reading. Among the 70 guests and members present were H.G. Kugler and C.C. Wilson, both of whom were later to contribute significantly to an understanding of the geology of Trinidad.
The price of the 1931 dinner ticket was $2.50, which covered the cost of the Orchestra for 2 hours! The expenses incurred in staging the 1931 dinner amounted to $204.00.
The Institute of Petroleum (Trinidad Branch), which was the umbrella organization for local geologists prior to the formation of the GSTT in 1976, was active right up to 1973. Indeed several current GSTT members (e.g. K.M. Birchwood, J. Frampton and J. Scott) were also members of the Institute of Petroleum in the latter years

RECORD DEPTHS

The deepest well drilled in North America is the Lone Star 1 Bertha Rogers which penetrated 31,441' of section in the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma. This well, together with the Lone Star 1 Baden (30,050'), are the only wells in North America drilled below 30,000'. According to an article by N. E. Takoch et al. in the March 1987 issue of the AAPG Bulletin wells programmed to 50,000' are being considered for the Arardako Basin.
The deepest gas producer in the United States is the Chevron 1 Ledbetter in Texas, completed in 1977
from the interval 24,435' to 26,518'
The world's deepest hole is the ultra-deep SG-3 well in the Soviet Union, which had drilled below 39,370' by January 1986. Proterozoic and Archean crust has been sampled and there are plans to deepen the well to 50,000'.
The hole drilled at Siljan in Sweden to explore the potential of crystalline rocks for methane gas is nowhere near the record for the deepest hole, but probably ranks as the most interesting well. After 13 months of drilling Precambrian granite the project has been suspended at 21,700', 1,300' short of its targeted depth.
In Trinidad the deepest well drilled on land is the Apex Fyzabad 560 drilled in 1954 to 16,155'. In the offshore area the Pelican 3 well was drilled by Texaco to a record depth of 17,939' in 1976.