Courses taught at the University of
Texas at Arlington
- Spring 2003: Geology 3442
(Sedimentology and Stratigraphy)
- Fall 2003: Geology 5344 and 4305
(Clastic Depositional Environments)
- Spring 2004: Geology 3442
(Sedimentology and Stratigraphy)
His 330 publications
during 1970-2013), which include two Elsevier’s Handbook of Petroleum
Exploration and Production volumes on deep-water sandstones (2006 and 2012), cover a wide range
of topics (e.g., deep-water process sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, phenomena of tsunamis,
cyclones, erosional unconformities, porosity in sandstones, Appalachian tectonics,
Mn distribution in marine strata, etc.).
Publications on Deep-Water
Processes
Books
Shanmugam, G., 2006, Deep-water processes and facies models: Implications
for sandstone petroleum reservoirs: Amsterdam, Elsevier, Handbook of petroleum
exploration and production, v. 5, 476 p.
Shanmugam, G., 2012, New
perspectives on deep-water sandstones: Origin, recognition, initiation, and
reservoir quality: Amsterdam, Elsevier, Handbook of petroleum exploration and
production, v. 9, 524 p.
Selected Journal Publications
Shanmugam, G., 1996a, High-density turbidity currents: Are they sandy
debris flows? Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 66, p. 2–10.
Shanmugam, G., 1996b, Perception vs. Reality in
deep-water exploration: World Oil, v. 217, p. 37-41.
Shanmugam, G., 1997a. The
Bouma Sequence and the turbidite mind set. Earth-Science Reviews, v. 42, p.
201–229.
Shanmugam, G., 1997b,
Deep-water exploration: Conceptual models and their uncertainties: NAPE (NigerianAssociation
of PetroleumExplorationists) Bulletin, v. 12/01, p. 11–28.
Shanmugam, G., 2000, 50
years of the turbidite paradigm (1950s–1990s): Deep-water processes and
facies models—A critical perspective: Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 17, p. 285–342.
Shanmugam, G., 2002. Ten
turbidite myths: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 58, p. 311–341.
Shanmugam, G., 2003,
Deep-marine tidal bottom currents and their reworked sands in modern and
ancient submarine canyons: Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 20, p. 471–491.
Shanmugam, G., 2006, The
tsunamite problem: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 76, p. 718–730.
Shanmugam, G., 2007, The
obsolescence of deep-water sequence stratigraphy in petroleum geology: Indian
Journal of Petroleum Geology, v. 16 (1), p. 1-45.
Shanmugam, G. 2008a,
Deep-Water Bottom Currents and Their Deposits, in Rebesco, M., and Camerlenghi,
A., eds., Contourites: Amsterdam, Elsevier, Developments in Sedimentology, v.
60, p. 59-81.
Shanmugam, G., 2008b,
Leaves in turbidite sand: The main source of oil and gas in the deep-water
Kutei Basin, Indonesia: Discussion: AAPG Bulletin, v. 92, p. 127–137.
Shanmugam, G., 2008c, The
constructive functions of tropical cyclones and tsunamis on deep-water sand
deposition during sea level highstand: Implications for petroleum exploration:
AAPG Bulletin, v. 92, p. 443–471.
Shanmugam, G., 2009,
Slides, slumps, debris flows, and turbidity currents, in J.H., Steele, S.A. Thorpe, and K.K. Turekian, eds., Encyclopedia of Ocean
Sciences, 2nd ed: Waltham, Massachusetts,
Academic Press (Elsevier), p. 447-467.
Shanmugam, G., 2012,
Process-sedimentological challenges in distinguishing paleo-tsunami deposits, in
A. Kumar and I. Nister, eds., Paleo-tsunamis: Natural Hazards, v. 63, p. 5–30.
Shanmugam, G., 2013a,
Comment on “Internal waves, an underexplored source of turbulence events in the
sedimentary record” by L. Pomar, M. Morsilli, P. Hallock, and B. Bádenas
[Earth-Science Reviews, 111 (2012), 56–81]: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 116, p.
195–205.
Shanmugam, G., 2013b,
Modern internal waves and internal tides along oceanic pycnoclines: Challenges
and implications for ancient deep-marine baroclinic sands: AAPG Bulletin, v.
97(5), p. 767-811.
Shanmugam, G. 2013c,
Slides, Slumps, Debris Flows, and Turbidity Currents. In: Earth Systems and
Environmental Sciences Reference Module. Elsevier (online), to be published in
August or September 2013.
Shanmugam, G. 2013d. 深水砂体成因研究新进展 (New perspectives on deep-water sandstones:
Implications): Petroleum Exploration and Development, v. 40 (3), p. 294-301. DOI:
10.11698/PED.2013.03.05 (in Chinese).
Shanmugam, G., and G. L.
Benedict, 1978, Fine-grained carbonate debris flow, Ordovician basin margin,
Southern Appalachians: Journal of
Sedimentary Petrology, v. 48, p. 1233-1240.
Shanmugam, G., and R. J.
Moiola, 1982, Eustatic control of turbidites and winnowed turbidites: Geology,
v. 10, p. 231–235. Shanmugam, G., and R. J.
Moiola, 1988, Submarine fans: Characteristics, models, classification,
and reservoir potential: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 24, p. 383– 428.
Shanmugam, G., and R. J.
Moiola, 1995, Reinterpretation of depositional processes in a classic flysch
sequence in the Pennsylvanian Jackfork Group, Ouachita Mountains: AAPG Bulletin, v. 79, p. 672-695.
Shanmugam, G., J.E. Damuth,
R.J. Moiola, 1985, Is the turbidite facies association scheme valid for
interpreting ancient submarine fan environments? Geology, v. 13, p. 234-237.
Shanmugam, G., T. D.
Spalding, and D. H. Rofheart, 1993, Process sedimentology and reservoir quality
of deep-marine bottom-current reworked sands (sandy contourites): an example
from the Gulf of Mexico: AAPG Bulletin, v. 77, p. 1241–1259.
Shanmugam, G., L. R.
Lehtonen, T. Straume, S. E. Syversten,
R. J. Hodgkinson, and M. Skibeli, 1994, Slump and debris flow dominated
upper slope facies in the Cretaceous of the Norwegian and Northern North Seas
(61º–67º N): implications for sand distribution: AAPG Bulletin, v. 78, p.
910–937.
Shanmugam, G., R. B. Bloch, S. M. Mitchell, G.
W. J. Beamish, R. J. Hodgkinson, J. E. Damuth, T. Straume, S.E. Syvertsen, and
K. E. Shields, 1995, Basin-floor fans in the North Sea: Sequence-stratigraphic
models vs. sedimentary facies: AAPG Bulletin, v. 79, p. 477–512.
Shanmugam, G., S. K.
Shrivastava, and B. Das, 2009, Sandy debrites and tidalites of Pliocene
reservoir sands in upper-slope canyon environments, offshore Krishna-Godavari
Basin (India): Implications: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 79, p. 736–756.
First flume experiments on sandy debris flows (1996-1998)
For the first time, to understand mechanics of sandy
debris flows and their deposits, a Mobil-funded experimental flume study was
carried out at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL), University of Minnesota
(1996-1998) under the direction of Professor G. Parker. Results were
published in two major articles.
Shanmugam, G., 2000, 50 years of the turbidite
paradigm (1950s–1990s):
Deep-water processes and facies models—A
critical perspective: Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 17, p. 285–342.
Marr, J.G., Harff, P.A., Shanmugam, G., Parker, G.,
2001, Experiments on subaqueous sandy gravity flows: the role of clay and water
content in flow dynamics and depositional structures. Geological Society of America
Bulletin, v. 113, p. 1377-1386.
1997
(April) AAPG Convention Debate Panelist, Dallas, Texas
Topic: Processes of
Deep-Water Clastic Sedimentation and Their Reservoir Implications: What Can We
Predict?
Moderator: H. E.
Clifton.
Panelists: A.H. Bouma, J.E. Damuth, D.R. Lowe, G. Parker, and G. Shanmugam
1998 Field Verification of the Bouma Seuence at the Type Locality, Annot
Sandstone (Eocene-Oligocene), Peira-Cava area, French Maritime Alps, SE France
To verify the observational validity of the
vertical turbidite facies model, known as the Bouma Sequence (Ta, Tb, Tc, Td,
and Te divisions), a field study of the Annot Sandstone (Eocene-Oligocene), exposed
near Peira-Cava area-the type locality, French Maritime Alps, SE France was carried out in 1998 by Mobil geologists G.
Shanmugam, R. J. Moiola, and R. B. Bloch. Results were published in two major
articles and in a book.
Shanmugam, G., 2002. Ten turbidite myths:
Earth-Science Reviews, v. 58, p. 311–341.
Shanmugam, G., 2003, Deep-marine tidal bottom
currents and their reworked sands in modern and ancient submarine canyons:
Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 20, p. 471–491.
Shanmugam, G., 2006,
Deep-water processes and facies models: Implications for sandstone petroleum
reservoirs: Amsterdam, Elsevier, Handbook of petroleum exploration and
production, v. 5, 476 p.
Awards and Achievements
- 1968: IIT Medal for the top-ranking student in
Applied Geology, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India.
- 1995: Best paper award
from NAPE (Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists) for his
paper “Deepwater
Exploration: Conceptual Models and their Uncertainties”
- 2000: Listed in the Millennium Edition
(2000-2001) of Marquis Who’s who in Science and Engineering among 470 geologists chosen from 40
countries.
- His paper ‘High-density
turbidity currents: are they sandy debris flows?’ published in the Journal of Sedimentary Research in
1996, has achieved the status of the single most cited paper in
sedimentological research published in three world-renowned periodicals - Journal of Sedimentary Research, Sedimentology, and Sedimentary Geology - during the
survey period of 1996-2003 (Source: International Association of
Sedimentologists Newsletter, August 2003).
- The
above article was also ranked 46th among the top 50 most-cited JSR articles
of all time. http://m.jsedres.sepmonline.org/reports/most-cited
(accessed October 31, 2014)
- He was interviewed by SUN TV, Chennai, India
(Televised on December 30th 2003) on his controversial research papers on
turbidite sedimentation and their implications for petroleum reservoirs.
- He is an Emeritus Member
of SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology), member since 1970.
Rock description
worldwide used in deep-water research
His rock description
includes 35 case studies of deep-water systems that comprise many
petroleum-producing massive sands worldwide. Description of core and outcrop
was carried out at a scale of 1:20 to 1:50, totaling more than 10,000 m, during
1974-2011. These modern and ancient deep-water systems include both marine and
lacustrine settings. They are:
1.
Mississippi Fan, Quaternary, DSDP Leg 96 core, Gulf of Mexico, U.S.
2. Green Canyon,
late Pliocene, conventional core, Gulf of Mexico, U.S.
3. Garden Banks,
middle Pleistocene, conventional core, Gulf of Mexico, U.S.
4. Ewing Bank 826,
Pliocene-Pleistocene, conventional core, Gulf of Mexico, U.S.
5. South Marsh
Island, late Pliocene, conventional core, Gulf of Mexico, U.S.
6. South Timbalier,
middle Pleistocene, conventional core, Gulf of Mexico, U.S.
7. High
Island, late Pliocene, conventional core, Gulf of Mexico, U.S.
8. East
Breaks, late Pliocene-Holocene, conventional and piston cores, Gulf of Mexico,
U.S.
9. Midway
Sunset Field, upper Miocene, conventional core, onshore California, U.S.
10. Jackfork
Group, Pennsylvanian, outcrop, Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, U.S.
11. Sevier
Basin, middle Ordovician, outcrop, Southern Appalachians, Tennessee, U.S.
12. Lagoa
Parda Field, lower Eocene, conventional core, Espirito Santo Basin, onshore
Brazil.
13. Fazenda
Alegre Field, upper Cretaceous, conventional core, Espirito Santo Basin,
onshore Brazil.
14. Cangoa
Field, upper Eocene, conventional core, Espirito Santo Basin, offshore Brazil.
15. Peroa´
Field, lower Eocene to upper Oligocene, conventional core, Espirito Santo
Basin, offshore Brazil.
16. Marlim
Field, Oligocene, conventional core, Campos Basin, offshore Brazil.
17. Marimba
Field, upper Cretaceous, conventional core, Campos Basin, offshore Brazil.
18. Roncador
Field, upper Cretaceous, conventional core, Campos Basin, offshore Brazil.
19. Frigg
Field, lower Eocene, conventional core, Norwegian North Sea.
20. Harding
Field (formerly Forth Field), lower Eocene, conventional core, U.K. North Sea.
21. Alba
Field, Eocene, conventional core, U.K. North Sea.
22. Fyne
Field, Eocene, conventional core, U.K. North Sea.
23. Gannet
Field, Paleocene, conventional core, U.K. North Sea.
24. Andrew
Field, Paleocene, conventional core, U.K. North Sea.
25. Gryphon
Field, upper Paleocene_lower Eocene, conventional core, U.K. North Sea.
26. Faeroe area,
Paleocene, conventional core, west of the Shetland Islands, U.K. Atlantic
Margin.
27. Foinaven
Field, Paleocene, conventional core, west of the Shetland Islands, U.K.
Atlantic Margin.
28. Mid-Norway
region, Cretaceous, conventional core, Norwegian Sea.
29. Agat
region, Cretaceous, conventional core, Norwegian North Sea.
30. Annot
Sandstone, Eocene-Oligocene, outcrop, Maritime Alps, Southeast France.
31. Edop
Field, Pliocene, conventional core, offshore Nigeria.
32. Zafiro
Field, Pliocene, conventional core, offshore Equatorial Guinea.
33. Opalo
Field, Pliocene, conventional core, offshore Equatorial Guinea.
34. Melania
Formation, lower Cretaceous, conventional core, offshore Gabon.
35.
Krishna-Godavari Basin, Pliocene, conventional core, Bay of Bengal, India.
Personal knowledge gained from this robust rock-based data set has
allowed Shanmugam to be consistent in his process interpretations. See Figure 5
below for locations.
All Outcrop/Field Studies
Deep-water
deposits (Ph.D. work): Southern Appalachians (Tennessee, USA)
Deep-water deposits: Ouachita
Mountains (Arkansas and Oklahoma, USA)
Deep-water
deposits: Peira Cava area (SE France)
Shallow-marine deposits: Qassim
area (Saudi Arabia)
Tide-Dominated Estuarine
deposits: Oriente Basin (Ecuador)
Fluvial and Sahallow-marine
deposits: Gujarat State (India)
2004 Indian Ocean
Tsunami-related deposits: Tamilnadu (India)
Coal deposits: Victoria
(Australia)
Coniferous rain forests:
North Island (New Zealand)
Limestone karst: Guilin
(China)
Organizer of Deep-Water Sandstone Workshops
1995 (October), UK
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Edinburgh, Scotland
1996 (November), Mobil,
Dallas, Texas
1997 (July), UK Department
of Trade and Industry (DTI), Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.
1998 (June), Petrobras,
Mobil, and Unocal, Sao Mateus, Brazil, South America
1998 (August), Oil and
Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), Dehra Dun, India
1998 (November), Petrobras,
Mobil, and Unocal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America
1999 (June), Mobil, Dallas,
Texas, U.S.A.
1999 (August), Petrobras, Mobil, and Unocal, Sao Mateus, Brazil, South America
2002, Hardy Exploration and
Production (India) Inc. Chennai, India
2002, 2004, and
2009, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Chennai and Karaikal, India
2006, 2007,
2008, 2009, & 2010, Reliance Industries Ltd. Kakinada and Gadimoga,
India
2009 and 2010, Research Institute of
Petroleum Exploration and Development (RIPED) of PetroChina,
2014: China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China
2014: Yanchang Oil Field Research and Development Research Institute, Yan'an, China:
:
Invited Speaker
Lamont‑Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University (1980) – USA
Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island (1980) ‑ USA
Saskatchewan Geological Society, Regina (1981) ‑ Canada
University of Texas at Arlington (1982, 1983, 1984, 1987) ‑ USA
University of Texas at Dallas (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987) – USA
Southern Methodist University, Dallas (1984, 1985) ‑ USA
University of Victoria at Wellington (1983) ‑ New Zealand
University of Parma (1984) ‑ Italy
NATO Advanced Study Institute ‑ Conference on "Reading Provenance from
Arenites" Calabria (1984) – Italy
Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, Annual Conference,
Lagos (1984) ‑ Nigeria
University of Bergen, Bergen (1985) ‑ Norway
Norwegian Petroleum Society, Stavanger (1985) – Norway
Dallas Geological Society, Dallas (1985, 1986, 1990) ‑ USA
Abilene Christian University, Abilene (1985) ‑ USA
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1985, 1987) ‑ USA
West Texas Geological Society, Midland (1986) ‑ USA
Fort Worth Geological Society, Fort Worth (1987, 1990) ‑ USA
Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Dallas (1987) – USA
AAPG Research Conference on "Prediction of Reservoir Quality through
Chemical Modeling," Park City, Utah (1987) ‑ USA
Abilene Geological Society, Abilene (1988) ‑ USA
COMFAN II, Parma
(1988) ‑ Italy
AAPG Research
Symposium on "Application of Chemical Modeling to the Prediction of
Reservoir Quality", San Antonio, Texas (1989) – USA
West Texas
Geological Society Symposium "Search for the subtle trap hydrocarbon
exploration in mature basins", Midland, Texas (1989)-USA
Dhahran Geological Society, Dhaharan (1990) ‑ Saudi Arabia
Geological Society of London Symposium: Diagenesis at Unconformities-
Implications for Reservoir Quality (1991), London-UK
Dallas Geological Information Library, Dallas (1991) - USA
Arthur Holmes Conference on Deep-water massive sands, Cefalu, Sicily
(1992) - Italy
Norwegian Petroleum Society, Stavanger (1993) – Norway
Lafayette Geological Society, Lafayette (1994) – Louisiana
Geological Society of London Symposium: Progress in Sequence Stratigraphy:
London (1994) - U.K.
AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Nice (1995), France.
Azerbaijan Association of Petroleum Geologists 2nd Intl Conference, Baku
(1995), Azerbaijan.
Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists 13th Annual Conference,
Lagos (1995), Nigeria
Geological Society of London Conference "Reservoir Modelling of
turbidite systems", London (1996) - U.K.
AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Caracas (1996), Venezuela.
Tulsa Geological Society, Tulsa (1996) - Oklahoma
Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Denver (1996), Colorado
Houston Geological Society, Houston (1997), Texas
Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin (1997), Texas
AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Vienna (1997), Austria.
Geoscience 98, Keele (1998), England
Petrotech -99, New Delhi (1999), India
AAPG, San Antonio (1999), Texas
Dallas Geological Society International Group (2002), Texas
Annamalai University, Annamali Nagar (2002), India
I.I.T., Institute Colloquium, Bombay (2002), India
Association of Petroleum Geologists, Mussoorie (2002), India
EMGI Distinguished Lecturers Symposium, Dallas (2003), Texas
Association of Petroleum Geologists, Kajuraho (2004), India
Association of Petroleum Geologists, Goa (2006), India
6th China National Petroleum Sequence Stratigraphy Conference:
Hangzhou (2010), China
8th International Conference & Exposition on Petroleum
Geophysics, “Hyderabad-2010”, SPG-India
AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, New Orleans (2010), Louisiana
CAPG (Chinese Association of Petroleum Geologists): Beijing (2011), China
Texas A&M University, College Station (2012), Texas
Journal and Special Volume Editors of G. Shanmugam’s Publications
G.
Shanmugam would like to acknowledge a select group of editors who published his
contributions on deep-water processes
and on other topics during the past 45 years (1970-2014):
1. J.
Southard (Journal of Sedimentary Research)
2. P.
McCarthy (Journal of Sedimentary Research)
3. C.
North (Journal of Sedimentary Research)
4. O.
Pilkey (Journal of Sedimentary Petrology)
5. A.D.
Miall (Sedimentary Geology and Earth-Science Reviews)
6. G.D.
Klein (Earth-Science Reviews)
7. G.M.
Friedman (Earth-Science Reviews)
8. R.
Steinmetz (AAPG Bulletin)
9. J.A.
Helwig (AAPG Bulletin)
10.
S.A. Longacre (AAPG Bulletin)
11.
K.T. Biddle (AAPG Bulletin)
12.
N.F. Hurley (AAPG Bulletin)
13.
E.A. Mancini (AAPG Bulletin)
14.
G.M. Gillis (AAPG Bulletin)
15.
S.E. Laubach (AAPG Bulletin)
16.
M.L. Sweet (AAPG Bulletin)
17.
D.G. Roberts (Marine and Petroleum Geology)
18.
E.M. Moores (Geology)
19.
H.T. Mullins (Geology)
20.
R.E. Arvidson and M.E. Bickford (Geology)
21.
R.D. Hatcher, Jr. and W.A. Thomas (GSA Bulletin)
22. P.
Carling (Sedimentology)
23.
A.J. Michael (Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America)
24. A.
Kumar and I. Nister (Paleotsunamis: Natural Hazards)
25.
B.W. Flemming and M.T. Delafontaine (Geo-Marine Letters)
26.
A.J. Van Loon (Geologos)
27. J.
Rodgers, J.H. Ostrom, and P.M. Orville (American Journal of Science)
28.
K.R. Walker and D. Roeder (Appalachian Geodynamic Research: American Journal of Science)
29.
A.H. Bouma, W.R. Normark, and N.E. Barnes (Submarine Fans and
Related Turbidite Systems: Springer-Verlag)
30.
G.G. Zuffa (Provenance of Arenites: D. Reidel Publishing Company)
31.
I.D. Meshri and P.J. Ortoleva (Prediction of reservoir quality through chemical
modeling: AAPG Memoir 49)
32.
G.C. Brown, D.S. Gorsline, and W.J. Schweller (Deep-Marine
Sedimentation: Depositional Models
and Case Histories in Hydrocarbon
Exploration and Development: SEPM Short Course No. 66)
33.
K.L. Kleinspehn and C. Paola (New Perspectives in Basin Analysis:
Springer-Verlag)
34.
S.P. Hesselbo and D.N. Parkinson (Sequence Stratigraphy in British Geology: Geological Society
of London Special Publication No. 103)
35.
R.D. Winn, and J.M. Armentrout (Turbidites and Associated Deep-
Water Facies: SEPM Core workshop No. 20)
36. D.A.V. Stow and M. Mayall (Deep-water
Sedimentary Systems: Marine and Petroleum Geology)
37. E. M. Moores and F. Michael Wahl (The Art of
Geology: GSA Special Paper 225)
38. J.H
Steele, K.K. Turekian, and S.A Thorpe (Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, 2nd
edition: Academic
Press-Elsevier)
39. M.
Rebesco and A. Camerlenghi (Contourites: Developments
in Sedimentology, v. 60, Elsevier)
40. S.
Lichen (Petroleum
Exploration and Development, Elsevier)
41. J.
Cubitt (Handbook of Petroleum Exploration and Production series, Elsevier)
42. Zeng-Zhao Feng (Journal of Palaeogeography)
Of over
300 reviewers who reviewed his papers,Shanmugam would like to single out (1)
the late Charles Hollister for his review of paper by Shanmugam, Spalding,
Rofheart on bottom-current reworked
sands (1993, AAPG Bulletin), and (2) the late John Sanders for review of paper
by Shanmugam on the Bouma Sequence and the
turbidite mind set (1997, Earth-Science Reviews).
