Intermittent power outages at Texas and New Mexico border stations has caused significant delays in customs services and information losses through computer shutdowns. The U.S. General Services Administration approached us to address these power quality problems at the border stations through a review of potential distributed generation sources through microgrids to “combat or support” these frequent power outages. The overall aim aside from solving power outages and brown outs at stations is potentially addressing the implementation of renewable energy sources as a power generation for microgrids and coming closer in compliance with Executive Order 13693, “Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade”. Our approach includes analyzing background information through analysis of GSA documentation and current studies on implementing microgrids in a variety of locations. Current data suggests proposing wind power, solar power, and battery storage based on size and locations of border stations. However, results are pending data collection and GSA input.

The geomechanical properties of Eagle Ford cores from the San Marcos Arch were measured by hardness tools to test that calcareous rocks are stiffer than the clay-rich shales. Results were quantified and graphed to reinforce the idea that the Maness shale could be more ductile than the superimposing Eagle Ford Shale.

Lithology and facies of the Lower Williams Fork in the Piceance Basin, Colorado were interpreted using spectral gamma ray logs on Petrel. Models were created using this correlated data to predict the facies in an area with no well data. Different modeling methods will be used, such as object modeling and sequence indication simulation to compare and search for the best fit. Published outcrop measurements were used to constrain subsurface geobody geometry. Models were also used to estimate reservoir rock potential in the Lower Williams Fork.

The 1.2 Ga volcanic arc rocks in the Barby Formation are well exposed in desert terrain in SW Namibia - this formation records the establishment of a major continental margin arc following earlier accretionary events. Recent field work has shown that large portions of the formation consist of pyroclastic fall deposits erupted from small volcanoes (fissures and scoria or spatter cones) in a region with poor drainage and abundant lakes.

Detailed mapping of a well-exposed section of the Barby Formation provides a cross-sectional view of a succession of pyroclastic fall units intercalated with planar bedded lacustrine sediments. Massively bedded units up to ~80 m thick show abundant bombs up to 60 cm across in a matrix of fluidal to angular lapilli, indicating deposition close to source vents undergoing primarily Strombolian-type eruptions. Hypabyssal dikes and sills are common, often cutting through the massively bedded pyroclastic units.

Also present are pyroclastic deposits that intrude lacustrine sedimentary packages at 12 locations spread out over a horizontal distance of ~600 m and a vertical stratigraphic sequence of ~300 m. These deposits contain similar bombs and lapilli as the pyroclastic fall deposits, but show clear fluidal intrusive relations with adjacent sedimentary units. In most cases, zones of peperite are formed in between the pyroclastic intrusions and the lacustrine sediments, consisting of fluidal bodies of vesicular basaltic andesite mingled with fine-grained sediment with preserved lamination. We infer that jets of intrusive pyroclastic material were blasted laterally into weak, unlithified lake sediments from one or more vent conduits feeding explosive eruptions at the surface; these jets are likely to have been forced out by collapse of the conduit inward. Fluidization of the sediment would have occurred as pore water was converted to steam, which would have facilitated lateral motion of the pyroclastic jets.

Landsat-8 data was used to test the effectiveness of using spectral analysis and remote sensing in the differentiation of lithological units and mapping geology in Namibia. The study area is located in SW Namibia, in an arid region with little vegetation, making it an ideal place for remote sensing analysis. Different color composites and band ratios were compared to find the image providing the most geologic information and highest contrast between units. A false color composite (6,3,2 in red-green-blue) was first created to to show differences in bare earth, and from there, various band ratio combinations were created. Geologic maps were used to verify the results and select the best band combination. The best color composite image was created using band ratios from (7/6, 6/5, 4/2), and allowed identification of lithological units and vegetation. The results show that it is possible to draw valid lithological conclusions from spectral patterns, and that high quality imagery can be used to update existing geologic maps or used for exploration.