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PROPOSITION
Only by understanding the big picture first can we hope to develop an
exploration or development programmme that is robust and consistent, embraces
fully the geological uncertainties and risks, and one that knows when
it is achieving real added value.
APTITUDE AND SKILLS
Highly developed pattern recognition and lateral thinking skills with
geological data - especially seismic data, geological maps, field data,
etc - and ability to absorb and integrate information, that quickly produces
new ideas and new frameworks for an area. Ability to shift exploration
thinking for an area, and stay focused on the geology that is important
for exploration.
KEY QUALIFICATIONS
• Over twenty years industry experience as a professional geologist
in the application of structural geology to resolving problems in mineral
and hydrocarbon exploration
• Experience world wide in diverse structural provinces including
extensional basins, continental margins, thrust and fold belts, inversion
terranes, areas of salt tectonics, and strike slip terranes
• Huge world wide experience with geological interpretation of seismic
data. Using seismic data at the regional and local level to generate robust
structural interpretations and new tectonic models
• Development of new geological solutions to problems in exploration
and development, use of risk analysis as a guiding geological tool in
problem solving, development of new consultancy business and teaching.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
ALASTAIR BEACH ASSOCIATES LTD MERGED WITH
ECL 2002
The work of Alastair Beach as a world-class
exploration geologist is now part of Exploration Consultants Ltd, Henley
on Thames, UK.
DIRECTOR, ALASTAIR BEACH ASSOCIATES LTD 1988 - 2002
Completion of numerous projects for
oil and minerals companies around the world, including the following areas.
Mineral exploration
• 1971 Work visit to Yellowknife Mines,
NW Territories, Canada
• 1989 Lubin area, Poland, BHP Minerals. Regional tectonic model.
• 1990-1994 Witwatersrand Basin Project, Anglo American Gold Division.
Generated a new tectonic model and structural interpretation for the basin,
and the hosting of major gold deposits., utilizing an extensive seismic
database, developing deep crustal interpretation, and extending work to
whole of craton.
• 1994-95 Witwatersrand Basin, Anglo American. Input into structural
interpretation of 3D seismic surveys over specific gold mine areas.
• 1994-95 Botswana, Anglo American. Discovery and interpretation
of new basin below Kalahari Desert utilizing deep regional deep seismic
profiles.
• 1994-97 Offshore-onshore SW Africa (South Africa-Namibia-Angola),
DeBeers Marine. Regional tectonic and stratigraphic model for the alluvial
diamond deposits of this area, integrating offshore seismic data interpretation
with onshore uplift and erosion history.
• 1996 Macraes shear zone, South Island New Zealand, Macraes Mining.
Structural model for shear zone hosted gold deposits.
• 1996. Murchison greenstone belt, W. Australia. Extended work visit,
initiated thinking on new tectonic model that was developed by local staff.
• 1997. Mt Isa inlier, Normandy Mining. Major project including development
of consistent regional tectonic model for the whole area, utilizing interpretation
of new deep seismic data and integration of geological data, stratigraphy,
geochronology, structure, field data, etc. Defined completely new model
for major deposits, and identified potential new trends for mineralisation.
• 1998-2001 Navan deposit, Ireland, Outokumpu Mining. Development
of new structural model for this major ZnPb deposit benefiting from integrating
oil exploration experience and recognition of new possibilities at Navan.
Key input into new mine area development and exploration programme.
• 2000 Zambian copperbelt, Anglo American. Developed basis for new
regional tectonic framework for this area, giving a totally new perspective
on mineralisation. The model was subsequently developed at a mine specific
level by local staff.
• 2000 Morocco, Pasminco. Regional study of mineral potential throughout
Morocco to enable country screening and risk analysis to be conducted.
Integrated regional geological, stratigraphic, seismic, tectonics, etc
into a tectonic and geological model for mineralisation.
• 2002 Reocin PbZn deposit, Spain, Anglo American. Review of this
deposit in a regional setting to gain some understanding of further potential
in the area.
• 2003-4. Lufilian Arc of Zambia and Congo, Anglo American. A major
new project just started to generate the best possible tectonic model
for the whole of the copperbelt, and from this to define exploration strategies
and new target zones.
Extensional tectonics
• All sectors of North Sea
• Early involvement in promotion and interpretation of deep seismic
data
• Gulf of Suez rift
• Algeria
• Libya
• Yemen
• Offshore Vietnam
• Oman
• Nile Delta
• Niger Delta
• Eastern and Western offshore India
• Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa
• Turgai Basin, Kazakhstan
• Western Australia
Continental margins
• Mid to North Norway margin
• West of Shetland
• Faeroes Basin
• Angola-Namibia-South Africa
• Falklands
• Brazil
Thrust and fold belts
• European Alpine belts in France, Spain and Italy
• Morocco
• Carpathians
• Kirthar Belt, Pakistan
• Assam fold belt, India
• South African fold belts
• Zambian copper belt
• Zagros
• Central Australia fold belts
• Rocky Mountains
• Columbian Andes
• Trinidad
• Indonesia
• Oman
Projects have spanned a wide range of
activities, from basin wide regional frameworks down to field specific
and hydrocarbon development projects involving detailed analysis of geometry.
Assessment of risk and uncertainty has always been used as a key guide
to evaluations.
• Structural assessment of the Kirthar fold belt, Pakistan
• Section restoration in Navan ore body, Ireland
• Outcrop analysis of faults, Gulf of Suez
• Exploration potential of Yemen, Algeria and Vietnam
• Fracture analysis of carbonate fields in southern Italy
• Trinidad fold belt evaluation
• Ninian field development
• Faeroes basin evaluation
• 3D structural modeling of Colombian fold belt
• SW Africa continental margin development
• Structural assessment, north Falklands
• Salt tectonics and structural modeling offshore Brazil
• Structural analysis, Indonesia
• Regional review & play fairway analysis, Mt Isa inlier Australia
• Structural modeling, West of Ireland Atlantic Margin
• Field development, Norwegian northern North Sea fields
• Structural modeling of Norwegian Atlantic Margin
• Regional review, Central Graben (UKCS/NOCS)
Initiation of research programmes
The planning, funding and execution of several research programmes was
undertaken as part of ABAL - the following are the key ones:
• Fault seal database of North Sea basins
• Fault seal database of Indonesian basins
• TCS scheme: the impact of small scale faults (granulation seams)
on sandstone reservoir permeability
• The distribution of faults at all scales within areas of extensional
tectonics, Sinai, Gulf of Suez
Teaching of short courses
The following short course have been developed and presented by Alastair
Beach and presented to both mineral exploration and oil exploration clients:
• New techniques in Structural
• Structural geology and risk in exploration and development
• Geometry of extensional basins and structures
• Geometry and exploration in fold and thrust belts
CONSULTANT GEOLOGIST, MIDLAND VALLEY EXPLORATION:1986 - 1988
• Prior to setting up own
business, worked on several North Sea projects involving structural problems
• Produced non exclusive study of exploration potential of onshore
France
EXPLORATION GEOLOGIST, BRITOIL (BNOC): 1981-1986
• Regional assessment of
hydrocarbon potential of oil producing areas
• Exploration geology in key Brent Province
• Team leader, North Sea New Ventures
• Leading role in early acquisition and interpretation of deep seismic
data
• Liaison between industry and universities
LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL 1971 - 1981
• Teaching as part of geology
and geophysics lecture programmes
• Teaching of specialised course in structural geology
• Huge field experience developed through teaching and research
• Research on structural and metamorphic geological topics - Scotland,
UK, French Alps, Iceland
• Served on NERC Research Grants committee
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Geological Society of London
Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain
European Association of Petroleum Geoscientists and Engineers
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
American Geophysical Union
Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia
PUBLICATIONS
Beach, A. and Fyfe, W.S. 1972. Fluid Transport and Shear Zones at Scourie,
Sutherland: Evidence of Overthrusting? Contr. Mineral. and Petrol., 36,
175-180.
Beach, A. 1973. The Mineralogy of High Temperature Shear Zones at Scourie, North West Scotland. Journal of Petrology, 14 (2), 231-248.
Beach, A. 1974. The Measurement and Significance
of Displacements on Laxfordian Shear Zones, North West Scotland. Proceedings
of the Geologists Association, 85 (1), 13-21.
Beach, A., Coward, M.P. and Graham, R.H.
1974. An interpretation of the structural evolution of the Laxford Front,
North West Scotland. Scott. J. Geol., 9 (4), 297-308.
Beach, A. 1974. A Geochemical Investigation
of Pressure Solution and the Formation of Veins in a Deformed Grey-wacke.
Contr. Mineral. and Petrol., 46, 61 -68.
Beach, A. 1975. Amphibolitization of Scourian
granulities. Scott. J. Geol., 10 (1), 35-43.
Beach, A. 1975. The geometry of en-echelon
vein arrays. Tectonophysics, 28, 245-263.
Beach, A. 1976. The interrelations of fluid
transport, deformation, geochemistry and heat flow in early Proterozoic
shear zones in the Lewisian complex. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A. 280,
569-604.
Beach, A. 1977. Vein arrays, hydraulic
fractures and pressure solution structures in a deformed flysch sequence,
S W England. Tectonophysics, 40, 201-225.
Beach, A. and King, M. 1978. Discussion
on pressure solution. Journal of the Geological Society, 135, part 6,
649-651.
Beach, A. And Tarney, J. 1978. Major and
trace element patterns established during retrogressive metamorphism of
granulite-facies gneisses, N W Scotland. Precambrian Research, 7, 325-348.
Beach, A. 1979. The analysis of deformed
belemnites. J. Struc. Geol., 1 (2), 127-135.
Beach, A. 1979. Pressure solution as a
metamorphic process in deformed terrigenous sedimentary rocks. Lithos,
12, 51-58.
Beach, A. 1980. Retrogressive metamorphic
processes in shear zones with special reference to the Lewisian complex.
J. Struc. Geol., 2 (4), 425-438.
Beach, A. 1981. Some observations on the
development of thrust faults in the Ultradauphinois Zone, French Alps.
In: Price, N. J. and McClay, K. (eds.), Thrust and Nappe Tectonics. Geol.
Soc. Lond. Spec. Publ. 9, 329-334.
Beach, A. 1981. Thrust tectonics and basement-cover
relations on the northern margin of the Pelvoux Massif, French Alps. Ectog.
Geol. Helv., 74, 471-479.
Beach, A. 1981. Thrust structures in the
eastern Dauphinois Zone (French Alps), north of the Pelvoux Massif. J.
Struc. Geol., 3 (3), 299-308.
Beach, A. And Jack, S.1982. Syntectonic
vein development in a thrust sheet from the External French Alps. Tectonophysics,
81, 67-84.
Beach, A. 1982. Strain Analysis in a Cover
Thrust Zone, External French Alps. Tectonophysics, 88, 333-346.)
Beach, A. 1982. Chemical processes in deformation
at low metamorphic grades - pressure solution and hydraulic fracturing.
Episodes, Vol. 1982e, No 4, 22-25.
Beach, A. 1982. Deformation mechanisms
in same cover thrust sheets from the External French Alps. J. Struc. Geol.,
4, 137-149.
Beach. A. 1984. Structural evolution of
the Witch Ground Graben. J. Geol. Soc. Lond., 141, 455-478.
Beach, A. 1985. Some comments on sedimentary
basin development in the northern North Sea. Scott. J. Geol., 21, 493-512.
Beach. A. 1986. A deep seismic reflection
profile across the northern North Sea. Nature, 323, 53-55.
Beach. A. 1987. A regional model for linked
tectonics in North West Europe. In: Brooks, J. and Glennie, K. (eds.),
Petroleum Geology of NW Europe, Proc. 3rd Conf., Vol.1., 43-48.
Beach. A., Bird, T. and Gibbs. A. 1987. Extensional tectonics and crustal structure, deep seismic reflection data from the northern North Sea Viking Graben. In: Coward, M. et al (eds.), Continental Extensional Tectonics. Geol. Soc. Lond. Sp. Publ. 28, 467-76.
Beach, A. and Trayner, P. 1991. The geometry of normal faults in a sector of the offshore Nile Delta, Egypt. In: Roberts, A.M., Yielding, G. & Freeman, B. (eds.), The Geometry of Normal Faults. Geol. Soc. Lond. Sp. Publ. 56, 173-182.
Beach, A. and Rowan, M.G. 1992. Techniques for geometrical restoration of sections: an example from the Bjornoya Basin, Barents Sea shelf. In : Larsen, J. et al (eds.), Structural and Tectonic Modelling and its Application to Petroleum Geology. Norwegian Petrol. Soc. Sp. Publ. 1, 69-76.
Meadows, N. S. and Beach A. 1993. Structural and climatic controls on facies distribution in a mixed fluvial and aeolian reservoir: the Triassic Sherwood Sandstone of the Irish Sea. In: North, C.P. and Prosser, D.J. (eds.), Characterisation of Fluvial and Aeolian Reservoirs. Geol. Soc. Lond. Sp. Publ. 73,
Knott, S.D., Beach, A., Welbon, A.I., and Brockbank, P.J. 1995. Basin inversion in the Gulf of Suez: implications for exploration and development in failed rifts. In: Buchanan, J.G. and Buchanan, P.G. (eds.), Basin Inversion. Geol. Soc. Lond. Sp. Publ. 88, 59-81.
Knott, S.D., Beach, A., Brockbank, P.J., Brown, J.L., McCallum, J.E., and Welbon, A.W.1996. Spatial and mechanical controls on normal fault populations. Journal of Structural Geology, 18, 359-372.
Beach, A., Brown, J.L., Welbon, A.W., McCallum,
J.E., Brockbank, P.J. and Knott, S.D. 1997. Characteristics of fault zones
in sandstones from NW England: application to fault transmissibility.
In: Meadows, N.J. et al (eds.), Geology of the Irish Sea and Adjacent
Areas. Geol. Soc. Lond. Sp. Publ. 124.
Beach, A., Brown, J.L., Brockbank, P.J., Knott, S.D., McCallum, J.E. and
Welbon, A.W. 1997. Fault seal analysis of Southeast Asian basins with
examples from West Java. In: Fraser. A.J. et al (eds.), Petroleum Geology
of SE Asia. Geol. Soc. Lond. Sp. Publ. 126, 185-194.
Welbon, A.I., Beach, A., Brockbank, P.G., Fjeld, O., Knott, S.D., Pedersen,
T. & Thomas, S. 1997. Fault seal analysis in hydrocarbon exploration
and appraisal - examples from offshore mid-Norway. In: Moller-Pedersen,
P. And Koestler, A.G. (eds.), Hydrocarbon Seals: Importance for Exploration
and Production. Norwegian Petroleum Society (NPF) Spec. Publ. 7, 125-138.
Beach, A., Welbon, A.W., Brockbank, P.J. & McCallum, J.E. 1999. Reservoir
damage around faults: outcrop analogues from the Suez rift. Petroleum
Geoscience 5, 109-116.
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