Applications of Isotope Geochemistry for Resource Plays. Presented by Christopher Laughrey at AAPG/DPA Playmaker Forum in Midland, Texas on 14 January, 2015.

The purpose of this presentation is to acquaint forum participants with the tools, methods, terminology, and interpretive techniques of stable isotope and noble gas geochemistry used to understand the origin and fate of hydrocarbons and associated compounds in the earth’s subsurface. Since, in practice, stable isotope geochemical data must be constrained by equally important geological, hydrological, and engineering data, most of the presentation shows how the geochemical data are interpreted in conjunction with other earth science information. The talk provides a brief overview of first principals concerning isotope geochemistry in the earth sciences, followed by selected examples of how natural gas and liquid hydrocarbon geochemistry can be applied to addressing specific problems encountered in resource plays.

Christopher D. Laughrey is a Senior Geosciences Advisor with Weatherford Laboratories at their Unconventional Reservoir Services facility in Golden, Colorado. He specializes in reservoir petrology, basin analysis, and both isotope and petroleum geochemistry, particularly with regard to unconventional plays. Prior to joining the Weatherford team in late 2009, Christopher worked as a Senior Geological Scientist for the Pennsylvania Geological Survey where he conducted applied research in tight-gas sands, fractured carbonate reservoirs, applied sequence stratigraphy, shale petrology, source rock geochemistry of the Marcellus and Utica shales, and natural gas isotope geochemistry throughout the Appalachian basin. He has conducted professional workshops in applied petrology/petroleum geochemistry of shale and tight-oil reservoirs, sequence stratigraphy, and carbonate petroleum reservoirs for private industry, AAPG, the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council, SPE, and numerous oil and gas operators. Christopher also taught graduate courses in sandstone petrology at his alma mater, The University of Pittsburgh. He began his career in 1977 as a geologist and geophysical analyst for the Marine Seismic Exploration department at the Western Geophysical Company (now WesternGeco) in Houston, Texas.