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Papers by Lawrence Cathles
Thematic Set on Basin Modeling Perspectives
Data Cube depicting fluid flow history in Gulf Coast Sediments
Oil and Gas Journal;(United …, 1991
Description/Abstract This paper on the search for hydrocarbons which has been one of the costlies... more Description/Abstract This paper on the search for hydrocarbons which has been one of the costliest enterprises of the 20th Century, yet there is still no sure-fire method for accurately predicting the specific location of oil and gas without drilling. This is because there ...
A. The Duration and Magnitude of the Ice Load: Meltwater Curves and Eustatic Sea Level
Viscosity of the Earth's Mantle, 2015
Evaluation of an Experiment Involving Large Column Leaching of Low Grade Copper Sulfide Waste: A Critical Test of a Model of the Waste Leaching Process
Interpreting the daily cycle of H2 venting in the Sao Francisco Basin of Brazil
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the zeta potential are so poor that it has become common t... more Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the zeta potential are so poor that it has become common to term their predictions ’apparent’. Here we demonstrate how zeta potentials that agree with measured values can be calculated by: (1) integrating the net average charge in surface-parallel layers from the midpoint of the fluid layer (where the electrostatic potential is zero) to and then into two solid caps, (2) determining the position of slipping plane with separate Couette flow models, and (3) calculating the charge distribution and electrostatic potential under static conditions. The solids we model are charge neutral surfaces composed of atoms with zero charge or charge balanced monovalent or divalent ions. The zeta potentials calculated are within a few millivolts of measured values, and the measured values fall within the simulation error bars. Insights provided by the improved MD simulations into the complex phenomena that affect surface charge and zeta potential are discussed.
APPENDIX IV. Boundary Conditions at the Fluid Core
A. Flat Earth, Constant Gravitation
Tree rings are key to calibrating radiocarbon dates with limited error due to their annual record... more Tree rings are key to calibrating radiocarbon dates with limited error due to their annual record of atmospheric radiocarbon content. Here we report the potential of providing an independent 14 C record for the Younger Dryas (YD) into Early Holocene (EH) from a unique source, northeastern North America. It will add a new source for 14 C data in the radiocarbon calibration curve, and new perspectives for issues such as variations in the atmospheric record of the northern and southern hemispheres, the timing of the YD/EH transition, and in the CO 2 exchange between atmosphere and ocean, across 1200 years, ca 12,400-11,200 cal BP. The source is the Bell Creek site in the lowlands of Lake Ontario, and its location, sediments, and the abundant log and other organics in the YD deposition give a unique opportunity to understand the development and processes of the paleoenvironment for the region. At the time of deposition, a boreal forest in a riparian environment was evolving, with Early Lake Ontario an evaporative basin, the Laurentide Ice Sheet margin less than 400km to the north, and ongoing isostatic adjustment.
Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018
The ice load configuration of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet (BSIS) over the last glacial cycle is in ... more The ice load configuration of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet (BSIS) over the last glacial cycle is in dispute. The traditional reconstruction, motivated by the observation that paleo-shoreline emergence increases towards the center of the Barents Sea, places a single dome in the center of the Barents Sea at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) that collapses to island-centered loads during deglaciation. Observations that suggest that ice flowed from the islands into the Barents even at the LGM motivate another reconstruction that places the ice loads over the islands with minimal marine ice. We analyze an ensemble of ice loads that are consistent with the geophysical observations and show that current relative sea level, GPS and gravity measurements do not and cannot distinguish a central dome from an island-centered BSIS. What is needed are constraints in the central Barents. Improving the gravity data sufficiently will be difficult. However, obtaining even a single GPS uplift rate measurement in the central Barents would resolve the central dome versus island-centered BSIS geometry question. Uncertainty in the Barents Sea ice load geometry provides a good illustration of statistical methods that we believe will be useful in other areas of glaciology.
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2017
Knowledge of preferential flow in heterogeneous environments is essential for enhanced hydrocarbo... more Knowledge of preferential flow in heterogeneous environments is essential for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery, geothermal energy extraction, and successful sequestration of chemical waste and carbon dioxide. Dual tracer tests using nanoparticles with a chemical tracer could indicate the preferential flow. A dual-permeability model with a high permeable core channel surrounded by a low permeable annulus was constructed and used to determine the viability of an inert carbon nanoparticle tracer for this application. A series of column experiments were conducted to demonstrate how this nanoparticle tracer can be used to implement the dual tracer tests in heterogeneous environments. The results indicate that, with the injection rate selected and controlled appropriately, nanoparticles together with a chemical tracer can assess the preferential flow in heterogeneous environments. The results also implement the dual tracer tests in heterogeneous environments by simultaneously injecting chemical and nanoparticle tracers.
APPENDIX V. Spherical Harmonics
B. The Lithosphere
Viscosity of the Earth's Mantle, 2015
Research and Application of Micron-Size Polyacrylamide Elastic Microspheres (MPEMs) as a Smart Sweep Improvement and Profile Modification Agent
SPE Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference, 2015
C. The Viscosity of the Uppermost Mantle
Viscosity of the Earth's Mantle, 2015
Economic Geology, 1997
Published numerical calculations show that the convective systems which produce near-surface geot... more Published numerical calculations show that the convective systems which produce near-surface geothermal systems or ore deposits are likely to cool their intrusion heat source in at most a few tens of thousands of years, even if the intrusion is large. Generally, hydrothermal circulation, near-surface geothermal activity, and magmatic intrusion should be closely tied in time and space. Long-lived (• 1 m.y.) hydrothermal activity normally suggests multiple pulses of intrusion with associated pulses of hydrothermal circulation. However, if the permeability of the intruded environment is just above that which allows convection, and the volume of the intrusion is very large, calculations presented here show that a single episode of intrusion can sustain hydrothermal circulation and near-surface geothermal activity for •800,000 yr. For a deep sill heat source, these unusually long-lived hydrothermal systems can vent through a few very widely separated discharge sites and have the potential to produce isolated massive sulfide deposits of unusually large size.
ABSTRACT: The Hybrid Petroleum System of the Onshore and Offshore Louisiana Gulf of Mexico Basin
AAPG Bulletin, 2002
T he development of 3-D basin models with complex structural features, fully coupled fluid-flow c... more T he development of 3-D basin models with complex structural features, fully coupled fluid-flow computations, and network compositional kinetics is just becoming a reality. The new basin models not only reduce exploration risk on a basinwide scale but also prioritize blocks of interest on subbasin or smaller scales. However, the models must be robust and easy to use to be effective in a competitive oilexploration environment. In many cases, faults are petroleum migration conduits, especially at depths less than a few kilometers. This is clearly indicated by observations in extensional basins with high deposition rates, such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Niger Delta. Model stability largely involves the handling of faults in 3-D. Most gridding schemes either superimpose a regular grid on complex depositional patterns and structures or capture some or all of the geologic complexity with disjointed grids or grids that are highly deformed in fault zones. A practical alternative to these...
Geosciences
The objective of this volume differs from that of the usual review of current advances [...]
Thematic Set on Basin Modeling Perspectives
Data Cube depicting fluid flow history in Gulf Coast Sediments
Oil and Gas Journal;(United …, 1991
Description/Abstract This paper on the search for hydrocarbons which has been one of the costlies... more Description/Abstract This paper on the search for hydrocarbons which has been one of the costliest enterprises of the 20th Century, yet there is still no sure-fire method for accurately predicting the specific location of oil and gas without drilling. This is because there ...
A. The Duration and Magnitude of the Ice Load: Meltwater Curves and Eustatic Sea Level
Viscosity of the Earth's Mantle, 2015
Evaluation of an Experiment Involving Large Column Leaching of Low Grade Copper Sulfide Waste: A Critical Test of a Model of the Waste Leaching Process
Interpreting the daily cycle of H2 venting in the Sao Francisco Basin of Brazil
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the zeta potential are so poor that it has become common t... more Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the zeta potential are so poor that it has become common to term their predictions ’apparent’. Here we demonstrate how zeta potentials that agree with measured values can be calculated by: (1) integrating the net average charge in surface-parallel layers from the midpoint of the fluid layer (where the electrostatic potential is zero) to and then into two solid caps, (2) determining the position of slipping plane with separate Couette flow models, and (3) calculating the charge distribution and electrostatic potential under static conditions. The solids we model are charge neutral surfaces composed of atoms with zero charge or charge balanced monovalent or divalent ions. The zeta potentials calculated are within a few millivolts of measured values, and the measured values fall within the simulation error bars. Insights provided by the improved MD simulations into the complex phenomena that affect surface charge and zeta potential are discussed.
APPENDIX IV. Boundary Conditions at the Fluid Core
A. Flat Earth, Constant Gravitation
Tree rings are key to calibrating radiocarbon dates with limited error due to their annual record... more Tree rings are key to calibrating radiocarbon dates with limited error due to their annual record of atmospheric radiocarbon content. Here we report the potential of providing an independent 14 C record for the Younger Dryas (YD) into Early Holocene (EH) from a unique source, northeastern North America. It will add a new source for 14 C data in the radiocarbon calibration curve, and new perspectives for issues such as variations in the atmospheric record of the northern and southern hemispheres, the timing of the YD/EH transition, and in the CO 2 exchange between atmosphere and ocean, across 1200 years, ca 12,400-11,200 cal BP. The source is the Bell Creek site in the lowlands of Lake Ontario, and its location, sediments, and the abundant log and other organics in the YD deposition give a unique opportunity to understand the development and processes of the paleoenvironment for the region. At the time of deposition, a boreal forest in a riparian environment was evolving, with Early Lake Ontario an evaporative basin, the Laurentide Ice Sheet margin less than 400km to the north, and ongoing isostatic adjustment.
Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018
The ice load configuration of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet (BSIS) over the last glacial cycle is in ... more The ice load configuration of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet (BSIS) over the last glacial cycle is in dispute. The traditional reconstruction, motivated by the observation that paleo-shoreline emergence increases towards the center of the Barents Sea, places a single dome in the center of the Barents Sea at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) that collapses to island-centered loads during deglaciation. Observations that suggest that ice flowed from the islands into the Barents even at the LGM motivate another reconstruction that places the ice loads over the islands with minimal marine ice. We analyze an ensemble of ice loads that are consistent with the geophysical observations and show that current relative sea level, GPS and gravity measurements do not and cannot distinguish a central dome from an island-centered BSIS. What is needed are constraints in the central Barents. Improving the gravity data sufficiently will be difficult. However, obtaining even a single GPS uplift rate measurement in the central Barents would resolve the central dome versus island-centered BSIS geometry question. Uncertainty in the Barents Sea ice load geometry provides a good illustration of statistical methods that we believe will be useful in other areas of glaciology.
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2017
Knowledge of preferential flow in heterogeneous environments is essential for enhanced hydrocarbo... more Knowledge of preferential flow in heterogeneous environments is essential for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery, geothermal energy extraction, and successful sequestration of chemical waste and carbon dioxide. Dual tracer tests using nanoparticles with a chemical tracer could indicate the preferential flow. A dual-permeability model with a high permeable core channel surrounded by a low permeable annulus was constructed and used to determine the viability of an inert carbon nanoparticle tracer for this application. A series of column experiments were conducted to demonstrate how this nanoparticle tracer can be used to implement the dual tracer tests in heterogeneous environments. The results indicate that, with the injection rate selected and controlled appropriately, nanoparticles together with a chemical tracer can assess the preferential flow in heterogeneous environments. The results also implement the dual tracer tests in heterogeneous environments by simultaneously injecting chemical and nanoparticle tracers.
APPENDIX V. Spherical Harmonics
B. The Lithosphere
Viscosity of the Earth's Mantle, 2015
Research and Application of Micron-Size Polyacrylamide Elastic Microspheres (MPEMs) as a Smart Sweep Improvement and Profile Modification Agent
SPE Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference, 2015
C. The Viscosity of the Uppermost Mantle
Viscosity of the Earth's Mantle, 2015
Economic Geology, 1997
Published numerical calculations show that the convective systems which produce near-surface geot... more Published numerical calculations show that the convective systems which produce near-surface geothermal systems or ore deposits are likely to cool their intrusion heat source in at most a few tens of thousands of years, even if the intrusion is large. Generally, hydrothermal circulation, near-surface geothermal activity, and magmatic intrusion should be closely tied in time and space. Long-lived (• 1 m.y.) hydrothermal activity normally suggests multiple pulses of intrusion with associated pulses of hydrothermal circulation. However, if the permeability of the intruded environment is just above that which allows convection, and the volume of the intrusion is very large, calculations presented here show that a single episode of intrusion can sustain hydrothermal circulation and near-surface geothermal activity for •800,000 yr. For a deep sill heat source, these unusually long-lived hydrothermal systems can vent through a few very widely separated discharge sites and have the potential to produce isolated massive sulfide deposits of unusually large size.
ABSTRACT: The Hybrid Petroleum System of the Onshore and Offshore Louisiana Gulf of Mexico Basin
AAPG Bulletin, 2002
T he development of 3-D basin models with complex structural features, fully coupled fluid-flow c... more T he development of 3-D basin models with complex structural features, fully coupled fluid-flow computations, and network compositional kinetics is just becoming a reality. The new basin models not only reduce exploration risk on a basinwide scale but also prioritize blocks of interest on subbasin or smaller scales. However, the models must be robust and easy to use to be effective in a competitive oilexploration environment. In many cases, faults are petroleum migration conduits, especially at depths less than a few kilometers. This is clearly indicated by observations in extensional basins with high deposition rates, such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Niger Delta. Model stability largely involves the handling of faults in 3-D. Most gridding schemes either superimpose a regular grid on complex depositional patterns and structures or capture some or all of the geologic complexity with disjointed grids or grids that are highly deformed in fault zones. A practical alternative to these...
Geosciences
The objective of this volume differs from that of the usual review of current advances [...]