Menu:

Latest news:

Seminar dates for 2009 have been announced.

24th Advanced Carbonate Field Seminar

Carbonate Facies and Sequences on Caicos Platform, B.W.I.

Direct Applications to Hydrocarbon Exploration and Development Geology

May 3-11, 2009

Instructors: Jeffrey J. Dravis and Harold R. Wanless


Contents

Purpose and Goals
Who Should Attend?
Why Caicos Platform?
Instructors
Logistics
Costs & Refund Policy
Immigration Requirements
Enrollment Procedures
Comments From Past Participants
Registration
Satellite photo of the Caicos Platform

PURPOSE AND GOALS
This seminar provides each participant with a thorough introduction to established Holocene and Pleistocene depositional models from Caicos Platform and other areas. These models now have been shown to apply to subsurface hydrocarbon exploration and development geology in the Devonian and Mississippian of western Canada, the Cretaceous around the Gulf of Mexico, and many other basins in the world, including the Caspian Sea reservoirs. Emphasis is placed on:

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Geologists and geophysicists involved in the exploration or development of hydrocarbon- bearing ancient shallow-marine carbonates.  Engineers, geophysicists and managers benefit from the scale perspective.  Earlier seminars were attended by geologists, geophysicists, engineers, and managers from major/independent oil companies in the U.S., Canada, England, Indonesia, S. America, Germany, Norway and Saudi Arabia doing exploration and development geology.

WHY CAICOS PLATFORM?
Caicos Platform in the S.E. Bahamas contains a complete spectrum of classical Holocene carbonate environments that are ideally suited for applying principles of carbonate sedimentology to petroleum exploration and development geology.  Additionally, these sedimentary facies display significant differences from environments in the northern Bahamas and southern Florida.  Therefore, one is exposed to a greater variety of controls on carbonate sedimentation than are observable on other Caribbean platforms, and, as a result, new models related to trade winds are now available to guide your exploration/exploitation of comparable facies tracts in the subsurface.

Holocene facies observed on this seminar include:

Pleistocene facies observed in outcrop and cores are spectacular and include:

Our Pleistocene outcrops, borehole and seismic data permit:

INSTRUCTORS
Jeffrey J. Dravis: Consulting petroleum geologist with over 30 years of experience and Adjunct Professor of Geology, Rice University; 8 years with Exxon Production Research and chairman of Exxon's Advanced Carbonate School; field trip leader to Bahamas and south Florida since 1979 and to Caicos since 1982; involved in research on Caicos Platform since 1981; since 1986, has consulted on plays in Ordovician, Silurian, Permian and Pennsylvanian of west Texas; Jurassic & Cretaceous of U.S. Gulf Coast; Devonian of Western Canada and Russia; Jurassic/Cretaceous of Africa and Mexico.

Harold R. Wanless: Professor of Geology and Geophysics, Univ. of Miami; consultant and field trip leader for Exxon and Tenneco; research in modern and ancient carbonates since 1966; NSF- and industry-funded research on Caicos since 1981.  Worldwide ancient experience.

INCLUDING PRIVATE VERSIONS, WE HAVE PRESENTED THIS SEMINAR 50 TIMES TO INDUSTRY SINCE 1988!  We have been working on Caicos Platform for nearly 29 years.

LOGISTICS – Please Read Carefully

You should plan to arrive in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, no later than Sunday evening, May 3, 2009.  Most people will fly on American Airlines through Miami, Florida.  The seminar ends on Monday, May 11, 2009 and most people will depart Provo that day for Miami and beyond.

Each delegate must provide his/her own snorkeling equipment, including a personal safety flotation vest that must be worn at all times in the water.  Delegates must be physically fit and in good health. 

COST 
The total fee for the seminar is $4,495.00 (U.S).

The fee includes:

Please Read Carefully:

The seminar is held at Turtle Cove Inn on Providenciales, and you are responsible for paying for your room.  We will make the room reservation for you.  Single rooms cost about $95 USD/night (not including 20% government taxes).  If you would like to share a room at half cost (double beds), let us know and we will try to accommodate your request.  Please specify your room preference on the registration form. Turtle Cove Inn accepts all major credit cards for payment, except Dinner’s Club.

You are responsible for making your own flight arrangements to Providenciales and back.  It is more efficient and less expensive for you if you link the American Airlines flight from Miami to Providenciales (Airport code: PLS) as part of your travel to Miami, Florida.  You should plan to arrive in Providenciales sometime on Sunday, May 3rd.  On Monday, May 4th, we will begin the seminar with a series of lectures, followed by lunch and then a snorkel practice on a patch reef later that afternoon.  The seminar ends on May 11 and most people fly out that day or stay to vacation.

American Airlines has several flights a day from Miami International airport to Providenciales.  Flight #1653 leaves Miami at 10:10 AM and arrives in Provo at 11:45 AM.  Flight #673 leaves Miami around 2:35 PM and arrives in Providenciales at about 4:15 PM.  Flight #625 leaves Miami early in the evening around 6:40 PM and arrives in Provo around at 8:20 PM.  Check with American Airlines to confirm exact times.

Most people will return to Miami on American Airlines Flight #746, leaving Providenciales at about 12:55 PM and arriving in Miami at about 2:35 PM.  Another Flight (#741) leaves Provo at 5:20 PM and arrives in Miami at 7:00 PM. Some of you can get connecting flights out of Miami that evening, depending on your final destination. You also have the option of returning to Miami on American Airlines flight #464 which leaves Providenciales at 8:20 AM and arrives in Miami at 10:00 AM.  In either case, you are responsible for making your flight reservations to Providenciales, and back.  These times are approximate, as American can (and often does) change their flight schedules without notice.  Call J. Dravis if you have any questions.

REFUND POLICY
A full refund, less the nonrefundable registration fee ($300), will be given if written
cancellation is received by March 20, 2009.  No refunds after March 20, 2009.  Substitutions are allowed.

LATE REGISTRATION after March 20, 2009 will incur an additional $300 fee, assuming space is available. 

IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS
Passport for U.S./Canadian/British citizens; visas for others.  It is your responsibility to determine if you need a visa.  Check with a nearby consulate or embassy.  Double check with your travel agent (they have made mistakes in the past for some participants).

ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES

COMMENTS FROM PAST PARTICIPANTS:

"Quite frankly, it was one of the best seminars that we have had the privilege to attend.  The concepts and field observations presented during the course will definitely have an effect on our reservoir modeling..."

"To see the spatial relationship of reservoir potential to depositional setting in the modern was invaluable."

"Reefs are complex.  No more big blue blobs on seismic."

“I also wanted to thank you for the great trip.  I thought the outcrops to be the best carbonate outcrops I have ever seen!  What a great natural laboratory, having living reef and Pleistocene reef outcrops adjacent to each other.”

“Geologists should bring their reservoir engineer with them.  That way, the whole exploration team can get on the same page in terms of facies and reservoir distribution.”

“I improved my understanding of the geological setting.  Allows reasonability checks of my seismic interpretation.  Increased my knowledge of where and how to search for porosity.”

"This seminar was not a snorkeling 'vacation.'  I feel I learned a lot and my company got their money's worth."

“We don’t think twice about spending $10,000 to buy a seismic line to help us understand or define a play.  This course does infinitely more in terms of understanding carbonate plays and will go a long way toward generating new ones.”

“And thanks to you and Hal for the great seminar.  I look at my maps in a different way now.”

“Again, thanks for the recent Caicos field trip.  You run the most professional field trip of those that I have attended...”

____________________________________________________________________________

REGISTRATION FORM (May 3-11, 2009)

NAME___________________________________NATIONALITY_______________________

COMPANY_______________________  TITLE & YRS. EXPERIENCE___________________

ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________

CITY______________________________STATE____________ZIP______________________

BUSINESS PHONE  (     )______________ FAX (    )__________________________________

E-Mail:________________________ ROOM (Single or Double?)_________________________

T-SHIRT SIZE:___________________________

SWIMMING/SNORKELING EXPERIENCE__________________________________________________________________

CHECKS PAYABLE TO:  DRAVIS INTERESTS, INC., 4133 TENNYSON, HOUSTON,                                                                     TEXAS 77005.    REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MARCH 20, 2009.
NOTE:  This seminar is always available to be presented on a private basis.

 


Dravis Interests and Dravis Geological Services can be contacted by email, by phone at (713) 667-9844, or by mail at 4133 Tennyson St., Houston, Tx 77005-2749.