Please Join us for our April Technical Luncheon where will have a technical talk by Mike Caputi and nominate Maurice Cox for Emeritus/Lifetime Member status, recognizing his decades of service, leadership, and lasting contributions to the Society and the Dallas geophysical community.

To be held at S&P Global's Lonestar Conference room on the 8th floor of Building L3. Thank you to our speaker and S&P Global for hosting the event. Lunch to be served at 11:30 and the talk to begin at Noon. Sponsorship opportunities available. 

Logistics:

 Lincoln Center L3, Suite 800- 5430 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy, Dallas, TX 75240. Event to be held at S&P Global's Office in the Lonestar Conference room. A member of the DGS will be by the Security desk in the main lobby to take you up to the 8^th floor.  

 If you have any dietary restrictions please email Ryan Marshall ryan.marshall@spglobal.com and we will try to accomodate. 

Dallas Geophysical Society to Honor Maurice Cox with Emeritus/Lifetime Member Nomination

The Dallas Geophysical Society is pleased to announce its intent to nominate Maurice Cox for Emeritus/Lifetime Member status, recognizing his decades of service, leadership, and lasting contributions to the Society and the Dallas geophysical community.

Maurice has had a distinguished career in geophysics spanning more than four decades. He received his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Houston in 1971 and began his professional career with Texaco, working on seismic acquisition crews as a seismic observer and computer operator. He later managed the seismic processing center Pexcon, Inc., before joining Sun Company and subsequently Oryx Energy, where he spent more than 17 years in a variety of technical and leadership roles, including Manager of the Technology Center for Sun E&P.

Within the Dallas Geophysical Society, Maurice’s impact has been equally significant. He served in numerous executive roles throughout the 1980s and was President of the Society from 1990 to 1991. During his tenure as a geophysical manager at Sun E&P and Oryx Energy, he actively encouraged and sponsored the involvement of many geophysicists in DGS, helping strengthen and grow the Society during a formative period. His deep knowledge of DGS history and his commitment to professional engagement remain highly valued.

Following his retirement from Oryx Energy in 1992, Maurice founded Cox and Associates, partnering with local explorationists to develop prospects and assemble exploration deals. He currently resides in Athens, Texas with his wife, Betty, and continues to maintain strong ties to the Dallas geophysical community. 

Title:Seismic reservoir characterization for expected flow units in a major carbonate reservoir, Scurry County, Texas. SACROC Seismic Facies – workflow to utilization to value

 Mike Caputi*, Kevin Fox 

 (*presenter)

ABSTRACT:

This study presents an integrated seismic facies and Rock Type Classification workflow applied across the SACROC field in Scurry County. The methodology combines core data, petrophysical rock typing, well logs, and multiple seismic inversion volumes to generate a field‑wide, data‑driven reservoir characterization. The work addresses limitations of prior interpretations, which relied on a single seismic volume without well ties and resulted in reduced predictive accuracy. In contrast, the updated workflow incorporates rock types calibrated to logs and core, ties 120 wells to seismic attributes, and propagates facies classifications across seismic volumes. Validation using production behavior, streamline analysis, and reservoir pattern geometry confirms the geologic consistency of the model. 

The resulting interpretation identifies connected high‑ and medium‑quality geobodies, delineates high‑permeability corridors for improved conformance control, and enhances harvest planning through high‑quality rock summation mapping. The workflow improves predictions of remaining oil and thin productive intervals and supports reservoir simulation, edge‑reef exploration, and CO₂ flood optimization. Overall, this integrated approach provides a scalable, efficient, and predictive reservoir characterization framework that strengthens development planning and performance forecasting for the SACROC asset.

 The SACROC oil field in Texas is a significant site for CO₂ enhanced oil recovery.
Located in Scurry County, Texas, the SACROC (Scurry Area Canyon Reef Operating Committee) unit is one of the largest and oldest oil fields in the United States, covering approximately 56,000 acres in the Permian Basin. It has been a pioneer in utilizing carbon dioxide (CO₂) flooding technology since its introduction in 1972, making it a key player in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) efforts.

Historical Significance
The field has produced significant amounts of oil, with estimates of original oil in place reaching 2.8 billion barrels. Its successful implementation of CO₂ EOR has made it a model for similar projects across the country.  

Speaker Bios:

Mike Caputi  

Mike Caputi is a seasoned geophysicist with extensive experience in seismic interpretation, petrophysics, and geology. He has held senior technical positions at major energy companies—including Shell, EOG, EnCana, Range Resources, Pioneer, and Kinder Morgan—where he characterized reservoirs across the Gulf of Mexico, the Barnett, Haynesville, and Marcellus shales, as well as both conventional and unconventional systems in the Midland Basin. Mike has also founded and led two geoscience consulting firms, delivering efficient, high‑quality subsurface interpretation along with advanced seismic and petrophysical support for diverse projects throughout U.S. basins.

 Kevin Fox 

Kevin Fox is a staff geophysicist at Kinder Morgan with over 25 years of experience specializing in seismic interpretation and integrated subsurface analysis. His work focuses on turning seismic data into actionable decisions for reservoir development, EOR, and carbon storage projects. Kevin earned his geophysics degree from the University of Alberta and a petroleum engineering degree from the University of North Dakota, and he has been an active member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists throughout his career.

Sponsors: