News

Posted on July 2, 2023

We are delighted to announce that Aaron Avery has joined our paleo team!

Aaron Avery is a biostratigrapher specialized in calcareous nannofossils, with over five years of experience, including over 15,000 samples examined and more than 300 days offshore in the oil/gas and academic sectors. His work experience began aboard the Joides Resolution as the sole paleontologist for the IODP Exp. 352: Izu-Bonin Mariana forearc, Southeast of Japan. He sailed for a 2nd time with IODP on Exp. 391 Walvis Ridge Hotspot.

Aaron is experienced in well-site biostratigraphy, in-house sample analyses, and data QC:

Many different areas/blocks and major oil and gas plays in the Gulf of Mexico, including, but not limited to: Atlantis, Thunderhorse, Tubular Bells, Horn Mt., Sicily, Stampede, K2, and Phobos

Recent to Paleogene sections from Garden Banks, Green Canyon, Keathly Canyon, Main Pas, Mississippi Canyon, Sigsbee Escarpment, and Viosca Knoll, with a working knowledge of Cretaceous taxonomy and biostratigraphy

International work from Mozambique, Africa, Colombia, South America, offshore Mexico, Walvis Ridge (South Atlantic), and the Izu-Bonin Marianas forearc (Southwest Pacific)

Currently a Ph.D. candidate at The University of South Florida continuing in studies using calcareous Nannofossils

Posted on June 12, 2023

Our team was at the 55th Annual Meeting of AASP-TPS Joint with the CIMP.

Our joint presentation with the BEG's State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery Group focused on the new results from a study using core and outcrop samples from the Strawn Gp. of Texas.

Posted on June 5, 2023

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Philipp Konerding and Dr. Katrin Ruckwied have joined the Ellington team!

Dr. Konerding has many years of experience and expertise in the oil and gas industry, working different roles in production geoscience, operations geology, and exploration research. He is now managing our analytical lab and will be working on novel geo-applications and cross-discipline integration.

Dr. Ruckwied has a background in paleontology and geoscience. Over the years, she worked as a biostratigrapher and business development advisor. Now, Katrin has joined us as a geological advisor to provide the best possible solutions for our customers.

Ellington's Study on Palynology of the Lower Wilcox Group

Ellington Geological Services' Dr. Vann Smith, Dr. Maria Antonieta Lorente, and Bill Ellington attended the workshop “Wilcox Group Recent Sedimentologic, Biostratigraphic and Chemostratigraphic Insights: Implications for Stratigraphic Correlations, Depositional Trends, Paleoclimate and the Exploitation of Energy Resources in Texas” sponsored by the Bureau of Economic Geology STARR Program.

As a part of the joint project regarding the Lower Wilcox onshore Texas with STARR, the Deep Time Institute, and Ellington Geological Services, Vann gave a presentation that focused on the findings of the palynological study including six events with excellent correlation potential across the basin. He also talked about the work in progress to calibrate these events in age by combining palynology with nannofossil and chemostratigraphic events at a very high-resolution level.

The workshop was an eye-opener illustrating the importance of the onshore Texas, not only in energy, but also a potential CCS storage unit.

After the workshop, Vann attended the field trip led by Peter Flaig and Chris Denison to different outcrops of the Sabine town, Carrizo formations, and a PETM locality in the Bastrop area.

Posted on March 25, 2023

Ellington's Study on Palynology of the Lower Wilcox Group

Ellington Geological Services' Dr. Vann Smith, Dr. Maria Antonieta Lorente, and Bill Ellington attended the workshop “Wilcox Group Recent Sedimentologic, Biostratigraphic and Chemostratigraphic Insights: Implications for Stratigraphic Correlations, Depositional Trends, Paleoclimate and the Exploitation of Energy Resources in Texas” sponsored by the Bureau of Economic Geology STARR Program.

As a part of the joint project regarding the Lower Wilcox onshore Texas with STARR, the Deep Time Institute, and Ellington Geological Services, Vann gave a presentation that focused on the findings of the palynological study including six events with excellent correlation potential across the basin. He also talked about the work in progress to calibrate these events in age by combining palynology with nannofossil and chemostratigraphic events at a very high-resolution level.

The workshop was an eye-opener illustrating the importance of the onshore Texas, not only in energy, but also a potential CCS storage unit.

After the workshop, Vann attended the field trip led by Peter Flaig and Chris Denison to different outcrops of the Sabine town, Carrizo formations, and a PETM locality in the Bastrop area.

Posted on February 16, 2023

We are delighted to announce that Brandon Parker has joined our paleo team!

Brandon Parker is a foram biostratigrapher. He has several years of experience in biostratigraphy and micropaleontology applied to the Oil and Gas industry.

His experiences include:

Paleogene-Neogene deep-water Gulf of Mexico, onshore projects, as well as in-office projects from Louisiana, Cameron, and Calcasieu Parishes

Wellsite experience in the Gulf of Mexico, with over ten thousand samples examined at wellsite and post-well studies over 40 projects

Internationally, over 15 wells from offshore Mozambique

Several publications and professional conferences

Posted on February 1, 2023

Despite the weather! The Wilcox Working Group (Ellington Geological Services & Bureau of Economic Geology) had a great working session this week! Preparing for our upcoming March workshop and planning paper and abstract submissions......

STARR Workshop: Wilcox Sedimentologic, Biostratigraphic and Chemostratigraphic Insights

(Please use the link above to sign up.)

We only have space for 35 people. There will be a waiting list if needed.

Core Workshop - Wednesday March 22nd, 2023
Field Trip - Thursday March 23rd, 2023
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Bureau of Economic Geology, Building 131 – Core Research Center
Pickle Research Campus, 10100 Burnet Road, Austin 78758

Posted on January 20, 2023

We are delighted to announce that Faisal Abuhmida has joined our paleo team!

Dr. Faisal Abuhmida is a professional geologist (petroleum geoscientist) with over 30 years of experience. He is an expert in the palynology of the lower Paleozoic (Acritarch, Chitinozoan, and Spores), upper Paleozoic spores, and Mesozoic ages.

His experience includes age dating, correlation, paleoenvironment, and palynofacies analysis by using kerogen type, paleoclimate, and organic thermal maturity, integration of biostratigraphic age and paleoenvironment (palynology and palynofacies) with other geological data (wireline log, sedimentology, and geochemistry data) at both a regional and a reservoir scale.

He has developed the Paleozoic zonal scheme for all the sedimentary basins in Libya, including the detailed Triassic and pre-upper Cretaceous palynology and sedimentology of the southeast Sirte Basin.

Posted on January 12, 2023

We are delighted to announce that Lizette Leon-Rodriguez has joined our paleo team!

Dr. Lizette Leon-Rodriguez is a foram biostratigrapher. She has over 11 years of biostratigraphy and stratigraphy experience working for ExxonMobil and 12 years of academic experience in the US and Colombian research institutions.

Dr. Leon-Rodriguez specializes in Mesozoic and Cenozoic planktic and benthic foraminifera and their application to high-resolution biostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy, paleobathymetric modeling, and paleoenvironmental analysis.

She has worked on thin section-based microstratigraphy and biostratigraphy of organic-rich shales and carbonate reservoirs.

She has extensive experience integrating biostratigraphy with well logs, lithostratigraphy, and seismic.

Her other skills include process-based carbonate forward stratigraphic modeling and early opportunity generation of isolated carbonate build-ups.

She participated as a planktic foraminiferal scientist for the IODP Expedition 320 to the Equatorial Pacific and has worldwide experience working in development and exploration projects, including Guyana/Suriname (since first oil discovery at Liza field), the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, offshore Brazil, continental US (both conventional and unconventional plays), East Canada, West Africa, Middle East, SE Asia, Central, and South America.

She is currently serving as a board director and president of the prestigious organization the Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research.

Posted on March 4, 2022

Ellington 33rd Anniversary

March 2022 is our anniversary month. Ellington has been in the oil and gas business for 33 years. We would like to celebrate it with our employees, consultants, clients, partners, and friends! Thank you all for your support over the years!

Posted on February 7, 2022

We are delighted to announce that Vann Smith has joined our paleo team!

Dr. Vann Smith has a PhD degree in palynology from Louisiana State University. His dissertation research focused on the Paleocene-Eocene palynology of drill cores from the Chicxulub impact crater in Yucatán, Mexico (IODP Expedition 364). Dr. Smith completed a detailed taxonomic work of pollen and spore taxa, including descriptions of new species, for the project. After graduation, he worked as a college instructor and postdoctoral researcher. His postdoctoral research and collaborations included the analysis of Holocene palynological samples from lake sediments in the southeastern United States and Wilcox Group samples from the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Over the years, multiple papers were published from his work. He received special training from mentors who helped develop the palynological scheme for the Wilcox. In addition to palynology, Vann also worked as a staff nannofossil specialist with offshore drilling experience.

His expertise and skills include:

Palynological analysis (palynomorph taxonomy, Paleocene-Eocene/Holocene)

Integration of multidisciplinary biostratigraphic, lithologic, wireline log, and other paleoenvironmental datasets

Nannofossil work experience on offshore drilling rigs

Knowledge of statistics including morphometric and quantitative biostratigraphic techniques

Experience with teaching, lecturing, and instruction

Posted on December 24, 2021

Wishing you all a spectacular holiday season and
great success in the year to come!

Posted on December 17, 2021

We are delighted to announce that Wagih El Fiki has joined our paleo team!

Dr. Wagih El Fiki is a nannofossil biostratigrapher with 30+ years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Over many years of working for BP and many projects, he developed a unique and successful chronostratigraphic framework. Dr. Fiki is currently based in Cairo, Egypt providing support to different O&G activities including wellsite biostratigraphy in the Gulf of Suez, Western Desert and Nile Delta. His expertise and experience include:

In-depth experience in Nannopaleontology from Pleistocene through all the sections below till Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary

Extensive experience in rig-site operations support for making critical drilling operational decisions (e.g., Satis, Salamat, GEB, Notus, Atoll offshore wells; Mocha, Tarif deep, Khairat and Nafahat onshore wells; West Nile Delta project including all Raven offshore wells)

Area of expertise

- Real time precise age dating

- Reservoir compartmentalization

- Chronostratigraphic correlation

- Missing section’s detections

- Casing point picking

- Calling total depth support

- Channel’s reservoir definitions

- Geological/seismic model calibration

- Sequence stratigraphy

Posted on November 23, 2021

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

"May your stuffing be tasty.
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious, and your pies take the prize,
and may your Thanksgiving dinner be filled with happiness!"

Posted on November 2, 2021

Rapid Rock Results
Example from Permian Basin

The Rapid Rock Results (RRR) services allow low cost and fast turnaround organic & inorganic screening on rock samples. Our goal is to help make more informed drilling and completions decisions through the utilization of fast, efficient, and integrated Rapid Rock Results data.

RRR Analytical Techniques:

LECO TOC (Total Organic Carbon) - Organic Richness
HAWK Pyrolysis - Classic Pyrolysis; HAWK PAM; Customized Pyrolysis
XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) - XRD Bulk & Clay; Mineralogy; Shale Brittleness
XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) - Major & Trace Elements

RRR Example from Permian Basin:

The video above shows an example of RRR geochemical logs from Permian Basin. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us and our experts have more insights for you.

Posted on October 25, 2021

Conodont Biostratigraphic Services

We are now offering "Conodont Biostratigraphic Services" through Jennifer Kohn, who is a conodont specialist. Besides conodonts, Jennifer also does thin section and SEM petrography for reservoir quality assessments. If you have any potential projects, please contact us.

Posted on August 31, 2021

We will be exhibiting at the Oil Sands Conference & Trade Show!

September 15-16, 2021 Suncor Community Leisure Centre Fort McMurray, Alberta

Check us out at Booth 2004!

In addition, our general manager Mark Beach will give a technical talk below. Look forward to meeting you!

OST 2021 - Featured Speakers - Mark Beach - Ellington.png

Posted on July 2, 2021

Happy Fourth of July! May this day be a symbol of happiness and prosperity in your lives.

Posted on March 11, 2021

We are delighted to announce that Chengjie Liu has joined our paleo team!

Dr. Chengjie Liu is a foram biostratigrapher. He joined Ellington after retirement from ExxonMobil where he served as a senior geoscience advisor conducting biostratigraphic, sequence sedimentological and hydrocarbon system studies for over 23 years. Chengjie also has 15 years of paleontological and stratigraphic research experience. His expertise and experience include:

In-depth experience in Jurassic-Recent planktonic foraminifer biostratigraphy, benthic foraminifer bathymetric modeling, carbonate sedimentology, biostratigraphy and biofacies analysis, sequence stratigraphic study of both carbonates and siliciclastics, and strontium stable isotope age-dating and correlation

Intensive experience in other micro- and mega-fossil groups including green and red algae, calcispheres, calpionellids, rudists, corals, bryozoa, gastropods, and so forth

Extensive biostratigraphy practice in major basins worldwide including Guyana/Suriname offshore, Gulf of Mexico and US/Mexico Gulf Coast, the Middle East, West Africa, North Africa/the Mediterranean, South East Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, East Canada, and the US unconventional plays (Eagle Ford, Permian, Arkoma, Ardmore, and Marietta basins)

Posted on March 2, 2021

We are delighted to announce that Carlos Santos has joined our paleo team!

Carlos Santos is a palynologist with 15 years of experience applying biostratigraphy across the hydrocarbon value chain participating in exploration, new well delivery and development activities. Carlos is very passionate about both high-quality analytical microscopy and fully quantitative analysis, and their application to providing subsurface solutions. His expertise involves:

Palynological analysis (dinoflagellate cysts, pollen and spores)

Integration of multidisciplinary biostrat data (palynology, micropaleontology and nannofossils) with other geological proxies at both a regional and a reservoir scale

Extensive work experience worldwide including the Central North Sea, West Africa (Angola, Ivory Coast and Ghana), Azerbaijan (ACG, Shah Deniz, Gobustan) and Georgia, Australia (North West Shelf, Bight and Ceduna Basins), Iraq (Rumaila), Mozambique, Jordan, Norway, Colombia and Venezuela

Posted on January 14, 2021

For more details, please call or email us.

Posted on January 1, 2021

Posted on December 25, 2020