Polish Geologists Attend Workshop in Colorado

27 June 2011

Polish Geologists Attend Workshop in Colorado

Three technical experts from the Polish Geological Institute (PGI) and two technical representatives from the Department of Geology and Geological Concessions of the Ministry of the Environment of Poland traveled to Lakewood, Colorado in April 2011 to visit the Central Energy Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).  The purpose was to participate in a technical workshop devoted to the analysis of gas and liquids resources in source-rock systems (ie, shale gas and shale oil).  By using USGS methodology and PGI data, the US and Poland are working together on an assessment of Poland’s shale gas potential.  The official report is expected in September. 
 
The five-day visit kicked off with a summary of the USGS domestic assessment project, which provides the basic methods for the global assessment.  Following the classroom portion, the Polish visitors embarked on a couple of field excursions.  In the Front Range foothills west of Denver, USGS geologists discussed the geological history of the Rocky Mountains and the Denver Basin, where significant production of unconventional resources is occurring.  The Polish delegation also explored exemplary carbonate source-rock systems in the Cretaceous Greenhorn and Niobrara Formations.  Later, they were able to examine core samples collected from these geological outcrops. 
 
The visit wrapped up with Polish participants sharing their technical expertise on the tectonic history, structural style, and stratigraphic framework of organic carbon-rich rocks along the Carpathian foreland.