Time: 11:30 am Buffet, Noon Speaker Presentation

RSVP online by Friday, February 8th at noon on the FWGS website www.fwgs.org.

Cost: $27 with RSVP, $30 with no RSVP, student members eat free with RSVP (Student Members please directly email the FWGS Secretary to RSVP).

Reminder: FWGS is charged for all RSVP's, so if you RSVP and do not attend you will be contacted concerning payment.

Speaker: Amanda Hughes - University of Arizona

Abstract:

Successful petroleum exploration in structurally complex geologic settings depends upon construction of the best possible interpretations of incomplete subsurface data. Studies that investigate how geologic structures at this scale form, and how best to characterize their geometries, can serve to improve decision-making and confidence in subsurface interpretation, thus reducing exploration risk. An improved understanding of the mechanical controls on the development of different types of geologic structures has further implications for the resultant distribution of sub-seismic strain associated with these structures. In this talk, I will describe several recent and current studies focused on better understanding and describing the growth of exploration-scale geologic structures. These will include mechanical models developed using the discrete element modeling method, the development of more flexible kinematic modeling tools and approaches, and empirical observations from structurally complex regions imaged in seismic reflection data.

Bio:

Amanda Hughes is a structural geologist in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona. She earned a BS in Geology from Washington and Lee University and a PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University. After completing her studies, she spent several years working for Chevron Energy Technology Company in Houston, Texas, where she worked in exploration and new ventures and on the development of new methods for structural interpretation and applied geophysics. Her research is focused on better understanding the growth of geologic structures across many spatial and temporal scales, developing more predictive and quantitative approaches to structural interpretation, and using these approaches to better characterize structurally-complex tectonic regions, particularly with application to petroleum systems and seismic hazards.