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SCHOOL ON PETROLEUM ECONOMICS
A Review

Lecturer: Trevor Boopsingh
A two day "school" on Petroleum Economics, sponsored by the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago, was held on Sept.21 and 22, 1982 at Farrell House Hotel, Claxton Bay. Mr. ken Birchwood, General Manager of Trinmar Limited, formally opened the school. In his address to the eighteen (18) participants, Mr. Birchwood praised the Society for the "excellent job" it has been doing in furthering its objectives through the successful organisation of seminars and short courses. He described the staging of the programme in Petroleum Economics as timely and interesting especially when viewed against the background of the marked increase in the price of oil in the seventies and the current situation in the industry.
Mr. Trevor Boopsingh, Permanent Secretary the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources in lectures to the participants traced in detail the history of tax legislation in Trinidad as it relates to the Petroleum industry.
The course was described as "highly informative" and generated lengthy discussion on aspects of the tax legislation which affect the Oil industry today.

SEDIMENTATION AND TECTONICS ALONG CONTINENTAL TRANSFORM BELTS
A Review

The Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago held another Advanced Petroleum short course at Farrell House Hotel, Claxton Bay from September 24th - 25th, 1982. The course entitled 'Tectonics and Sedimentation along Continental transform Belts" was conducted by Dr. John C. Crowell of the University of California Santa Barbara.

The main purpose of the course was to review some of the recent advances in understanding the origin and characteristics of sedimentary basins along major strike.slip zones and to discuss methods of their structural analysis. Plate tectonic concepts were briefly reviewed so as to provide deductive models of basin origin hence. a better understanding of oil-basin development. The relationship of structural geology to regional and plate tectonics and to concepts involving sedimentation in basins and prisms was also emphasized.

This course was most relevant to our area since Trinidad lies in a complex tectonic belt along the passive margin of the Caribbean and South American plates. In general, the course provided an excellent opportunity for all participants to apply modern geological concepts to unravel some of the structural and stratigraphic complexities which exist in Trinidad.

Seismic Exploration Fundamentals
By - Victor Young-On

Seismic Exploration Fundamentals, J. A. Coffeen
(1978), 277 p. Order from Penn Well Publishing
Co., 142] S. Sheridan Rd., P.O. Box 1260, Tulsa,
Oklahoma 74101, USA. Price, US $31.95 retail.

The author explains that "this book is on the use of seismic techniques to find oil. It is not on the mathematical and theoretical aspects of, seismic exploration. It is a manual designed for:

** MANAGERS, who need an overall knowledge of seismic exploration, to work with geophysics and geophysicists;

** GEOLOGISTS, whose work is closely related to geophysics,

PEOPLE IN SPECIALIZED FIELDS of geophysics- data processors, field personnel, etc., who would like an understanding of how their specialties fit into the exploration effort;

** And finally. NEW EMPLOYEES with a theoretical background in geophysics, who need to learn how that background is used in finding oil.

When most seismic texts on the market today turn out to be mathematically prohibitive, this book is remarkable in that it offers a most comprehensive treatment of the subject matter with a minimum of mathematical acrobatics. The writing style is almost conversational and the author's twenty years experience as a consulting geophysicist is evident throughout.

The first two chapters randomly covers some of the main topics in seismic theory and certainly goes a long way toward demystifying a lot of seismic jargon. Some of the topics covered include common depth point, record sections, normal moveout, multiples, noise and zero-phase wavelet.
Chapter 3 deals with Field Operations and is perhaps the weakest chapter of the book. The main downfall is the lack of discussion on field problems and the techniques and precautions for dealing with them.

Chapters 5, 6 and 7 cover seismic data processing and give a comprehensive review of the subject. Some useful practical suggestions are included regarding tape storage, record display, synthetic seismograms and migration. Chapter 8 on interpretation is the highlight of the book. The author's vast experience considerably strengthens his treatment of the topic and his comments on mapping should be required reading.
The final chapter entitled "General Considerations" covers some interesting themes such as 'Geological-Geophysical Coordination' and How to Find Oil'. Some interesting comments on educational requirements in geophysics can be found in the appendix. The major weakness of the book is the failure to provide a proper bibliography for those wishing to pursue the subject in more detail.

The book would be most welcomed by explorationists seeking a working knowledge of seismic without getting entwined in its mathematical abstractions. This book adequately fills the long outstanding need in the industry for a simple and practical text on seismic fundamentals.

GSTT ANNUAL DINNER AND AWARDS FUNCTION

The Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago held their 5th Annual Dinner and Awards Function on 9th October 1982 at Farrell House Hotel, Claxton Bay.

World-renowned Palaeontologist, Dr. Hans Bolli, a former Textrin employee, was the feature speaker at the function. In his address to the Society, Dr. Bolli, spoke of some reflections on the palaeontology and geology of Trinidad, gleamed from his experiences during the twelve years he worked in this country. His visit probably gave some of the younger people the opportunity to reflect that previous generations have laid the groundwork of the study they are now doing, and they have a responsibility to maintain the research effort.Born in Switzerland, Dr. Boli obtained his PhD. in Paleontology from Zurich university before joining Trinidad Leaseholds in 1946. He progressed from Palaeontologist to Senior Stratigrapher to head of the Geological Laboratory before leaving Trinidad in 1958. During his stint in Trinidad he published a number of papers on Trinidad's foraminifera, and he is widely regarded by his colleagues as an authority on the subject. Among his important works are:

The first planktonic foraminiferal zonation from mid- Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) to midMiocene (USGS Bull. 215, 1957);

A worldwide plank tonic zonation (1959);

A planktonic zonation for the late Miocene -Recent and a complete plank tonic zonation for the Cenozoic.

Presently, Dr. Bolli holds the chair for palaeontology at the National University, Zurich, Switzerland.

After the feature address, the following awards were presented

BEST TECHNICAL PAPER
Derek Hudson, Institute of Marine Affairs - "Buccoo Reef, Tobago - An example of a modern carbonate reef"

BEST FIELD TRIP
Philip Farfan, - Amoco Trinidad Oil Co. Ltd. "Guayaguayare/Point Radix Field Trip"

OUTSTANDING CORPORATE MEMBER
Trinidad - Tesoro Petroleum Company Limited.

The new executive of the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago for the year 1982-1983 was also presented at the function.

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THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
P.O. Box 3524, La Romain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.

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