Ms. Julie E. Shemeta

SENIOR ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT - GEOPHYSICIST

Littleton, CO 80120 USA
Tel. +1 (303) 910-0760
Email: julie@meqgeo.com
Website: www.meqgeo.com

Has over 25 years of industry experience including oil and gas, mining and geothermal. Her expertise includes microseismic and earthquake acquisition, processing, interpretation, and data integration across multiple industries. She has worked on tight gas and unconventional oil projects in North and South America, Australia, and Europe and applied surface, borehole, and fiber optic data acquisition methods. Her knowledge includes planning, data processing QC, and interpreting data in microseismic mapping of hydraulic fractures. She was selected to be a member of the National Research Council study on Induced Seismicity published in 2013, and since then, has been actively involved as a consultant to regulators and oil and gas operators on induced seismicity issues. She is an expert user of the Transform software platform, and was involved in the application's development. As an expert witness, she has testified on a variety of subjects, including cases related to hydraulic fracturing "frac hits", solution mining cavern failure, and land conflicts. Julie was a member of Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) The Leading Edge Editorial Board from 2014-2017, serving as Chairman in 2017. Julie is also volunteers with the Denver Geophysical Society's 3D Seismic Symposium committee since 2005 and served as the meeting co-chairman from 2008-2011. She was awarded with a SEG Special Commendation Award in 2017.

PROFESSIONAL LICENSES

State of Louisiana Board of Professional Geoscientists, License 852


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2008 to Present - MEQ Geo Inc., Denver, Colorado

President and Founder

Founder of a passive seismic consulting and data processing company which focuses on microseismic applications in the oil and gas and mining industries.

Specialties include microseismic monitoring for hydraulic fracture mapping, enhanced oil recovery projects, solution mining and underground mining. Technical advisor on borehole, buried array and surface microseismic monitoring projects including project management, acquisition design, vendor selection, system installation, quality control on data analysis, microseismic data integration and interpretation. Developed and lead technical training courses and custom workshops on microseismic monitoring for the oil and gas and mining industries. Data analysis capabilities include borehole microseismic processing including velocity analysis, microseismic event location, and pre.project feasibility studies.

I have worked in North America, Australia, India, Germany, Mexico, Columbia and Argentina in tight gas sands, high temperature reservoirs, unconventional oil, CBM and SAGD resources. I served as a committee member and contributing author for the National Research Council study .Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. from December 2011 to July 2012. Participated in US Senate and House of Representatives committee briefings on study findings for the National Academies.

Ongoing projects include microseismic monitoring of failed solution mining cavern in the Gulf Coast region of the USA, microseismic monitoring in an underground potash mining for water inflow monitoring and the analysis of underground salt mine microseismic data for mine stability assessment. Led a team to develop of first.ever seismic monitoring protocols for state regulators for long.term solution mining stability assessment. I am consulting to the Oklahoma Corporate Commission (the state regulator) in analysis of potentially induced seismicity and the correlation of oil and gas production and waste.water disposal wells. I work with Transform Software/Drilling Info on microseismic location, quality control and interpretation software.

2003 to 2008 - Pinnacle Technologies, Technical Development Group, Denver, Colorado

Geophysicist

Extensive experience in hydraulic fracture monitoring with borehole microseismic, surface and borehole tiltmeters in tight gas sands, CBM and shale plays in US and Canada. In addition, have worked on long term passive seismic, tilt and GPS monitoring of secondary recovery techniques, such as SAGD. Focus on advanced microseismic analysis projects including seismic velocity analysis, microseismic location techniques, and signal processing. Consult on design and field setup for successful hydraulic fracturing and reservoir monitoring projects. Work directly with clients to integrate passive seismic results with surface seismic, 3D VSP and tomography imaging, geologic data, as well as reservoir engineering data. Member of team for a patent application for stacking borehole microseismic traces. Work includes reporting Pinnacle and client results in technical journals and meetings.

Served as Pinnacle's technical liaison and project manager with Transform Software and Services (Littleton, CO), designing microseismic and tiltmeter visualization software, which included visualization design input, data I/O, software testing, employee and client training, and software documentation. Interface with Pinnacle clients on visualization software training, and software implementation.

1994 to 1998 - UNOCAL Geothermal Division, Santa Rosa, California

Senior Geophysicist

Provided technical support for geothermal production and exploration. Work involved technical report writing and presentation, supervision and training of foreign national staff.

  • Microearthquake (MEQ) analysis: location, interpretation, and integration of data with geothermal production and injection data.
  • Well log processing of fractures and geology from of image logs (HT.BHTV, FMS and FMI).
  • Integration of fracture data into geological and reservoir engineering models.
  • Design and testing of proprietary software used for MEQ locations, mapping and analysis.

1990 to 1994 - UNOCAL Geothermal Division, Brea, California

Applied Geophysicist

Supplied technical expertise to Unocal's geothermal division with software development, and data analysis and interpretation of microearthquake data. This included velocity analysis, earthquake location and determination of focal mechanisms. Work included the analysis of tectonic stress indicators (borehole breakout, focal mechanisms, etc.) for stress orientation for a variety of Unocal oil fields.

Served as project geophysicist for hydraulic fracturing research project in fractured Monterey formation reservoir, in charge of tiltmeter mapping and borehole microseismic locations during hydraulic fracture treatments.

1989 to 1990 - Eastern Region, Chevron USA, Inc.

Geophysicist

Interpretation of 2D and 3D seismic reflection and well log data for mapping hydrocarbon prospects in the central Gulf of Mexico. Work included gravity modeling of salt features in the Gulf of Mexico, 2D and 3D seismic interpretation using Landmark workstations for off shore lease sale.

Expert Witness

  • Pennsylvania court: hydraulic fracturing and solution mining "frac hit" interference case, Allegheny County Court (2014 and 2018).
  • Louisiana sinkhole related to solution mining cavern failure, expert reports and litigation support, (2015-2018).
  • Wyoming Oil and Gas Commission, set back distance from lease lines hearing (2014).

EDUCATION

Master of Science, Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 1989
Bachelor of Science, Geology, University of Washington, Seattle, 1983

AWARDS

SEG Special Commendation Award, 2017. See https://wiki.seg.org/wiki/Julie_Shemeta
Best Case History Award, 2011, American Rock Mechanics Assoc., "Monitoring Stem Injection Deformation Using Microseismicity and Tilt Meters", S.C. Maxwell, J. Du and J. Shemeta.
UNOCAL Science and Technology Creativity Award, 1991 and 1992.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

Denver Geophysical Society, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, American Geophysical Union,
Society of Petroleum Engineers, Seismological Society of America, American Association of Petroleum
Geologists, American Rock Mechanics Association.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

  • Editorial Board Chairman: The Leading Edge (TLE), the Society of Exploration Geophysicist Monthly magazine (2016 - 2017)
  • TLE Board Liaison/coordinator for special sections: Injection-Induced Seismicity (June 2015), Passive Seismic Source Mechanisms (August 2015), Australia (January 2016), Imaging/inversion: Estimating the Earth Model (February 2016), New Advances in Seismic Sensors (July 2016), Full Waveform Inversion (December 2016), Remote Sensing (January 2017), Microseismic Technology (October 2017), Induced Seismicity (February2018), Permian Basin (March 2018) and Latin American Focus (April 2018)
  • Co-Chairman, SEG Workshop Microseismic Technology and Hydraulic Fracture Mechanisms, 19-21 June 2017, The Woodlands, Texas.
  • Technical Editor, Potential Injection-Induced Seismicity Associated with Oil and Gas Development: A Primer on Technical and Regulatory Considerations Information Rick Management and Mitigation, 2015, States First Initiative of the IOGCC & GWPC.
  • Special section editor, SEG-AAPG Journal Interpretation: "Recent advances with well whisperers" August 2015, Volume 3.
  • Organizing Committee Chairman, 2014 SEG Annual Meeting Post-Convention workshop "Injection Induced Seismicity", Denver, CO, October 30, 2104.
  • Organizing Committee member, SEG-SPE-ARMA "Injection Induced Seismicity" 15-18 September 2014 in Banff, Canada.
  • Technical Committee member, SEG 1st International Workshop on Microseismic, 17-22 August 2014, Asheville, NC.
  • Special section editor, AAPG-SEG Interpretation Journal, issue on "Microseismic Monitoring" August 2014.
  • Taught invited workshop for ASEG-PESA 2013 Conference in Melbourne, Australia, "All Things Microseismic", August 15, 2013.
  • Workshop presenter, ESSCA E&P Forum 2012 International Unconventional Reservoir Characterization and Monitoring Symposium, Beijing, China, October 16-18, 2012.
  • Guest Editor, SEG "The Leading Edge", which featured two issues on Microseismic, November and December 2012.
  • Technical committee member, SPE/SEG Injection Induced Seismicity workshop in Broomfield, CO September 12-14 2012.
  • Technical committee member, SEG Microseismic Technology Forum, 22-24 January 2013, Napa, CA.
  • Founder and leader of the on-going Denver Geophysical Society monthly meeting "Microseismic Study Group", initiated in 2011.
  • Committee member for Denver Geophysical Society and Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists "3D Seismic Symposium" meeting, committee member since 2005, meeting co-chairman 2008-2011.
  • SEG 2010 and 2011 Annual Meeting Technical Committee.
  • 2008-2009 Denver Geophysical Society, Treasurer
  • Section Co-Chairman (Microseismic Fracture Mapping in Tight Reservoirs) 2009 AAPG National meeting in Denver, CO.
  • Technical Program Committee member, SPE/AAPG/SEG Workshop "From Macro to Microthe Description and Analysis of Tight Gas Sand Reservoirs", 29-30 Denver, CO, 2009.


    • PUBLICATIONS and PRESENTATIONS

    Velásquez, A., Víctor O. Ramíz, Sergio Chávez-Pérez, Baishali Roy, Julie Shemeta, Introduction to this special issue: Latin America. The Leading Edge Apr 2018, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 252-254.

    Rutledge J. and Shemeta, J., Introduction to this special section: Microseismic The Leading Edge, 2017 36:10, 820-820.

    J. Shemeta and J. Boak, 4-D Seismology of Induced Earthquakes in Oklahoma: Developments at a Geopolitical Hypocenter, Key Note Presentation, DGS-RMAG 3D Seismic Symposium, Denver, CO, March 3, 2016, Colorado Convention Center.

    J. Shemeta, Creaks and Groans from the basement: and induced seismicity update, Heiland Lecture, Colorado School of Mines, January 28, 2016.

    J. Shemeta, Creaks and Groans from the basement: and induced seismicity update, WCEE Hydraulic Fracturing Perspectives Series webinar, January 13, 2016.

    J. Shemeta, Induced Seismicity in Oil and Gas Operations: Recent Activity, Monitoring and Regulations, presented at AAPG/DEG meeting, 31 May - 3 June, 2015, Denver, CO.

    J. Shemeta, Injection-induced seismicity - Is something lurking in your basement?, presented at SPE Workshop Optimizing Liquids.Rich Development The Journey Continues, 20-22 May 2015, Palos Verdes, CA.

    J. Shemeta, "Did the Earth Move? Induced Seismicity in Oil and Gas Operations", Energy Litigation, American Bar Association Section of Litigation, Spring 2015, Vol 14. No. 3.

    J. Shemeta, invited panelist, "Injection Wells and Induced Seismicity", 13th Annual Energy Litigation Conference, presented by the Institute for Energy Law, Nov. 6, 2014, Houston, TX.

    L. Johnson, J. Rountree and J. Shemeta, Newfield's Williston Buried Array Microseismic; Pushing the Envelope and Integrating Data, RMS-AAPG Annual Meeting, July 20-22, 2014, Denver, CO.

    Shemeta, J., M. Leidig, and D. Baturan, Passive Seismic Observations at Grand Bayou, Louisiana, USA Associated with the Failure of the Oxy Geismar #3 Solution Cavern, SMRI Fall Conference 2013, Avignon France 30 September-1 October, p. 143-152.

    Warneke, J., J. Shemeta and K. Hill, Seismic Methods to Address the Cavern Collapse and Sinkhole-Napoleonville Dome, SMRI Spring Conference, Lafayette, LA, May 2013.

    Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies, National Academies Press, 2013, (committee member).

    Shemeta J. E, B. Goodway, M. Willis, and W. Heigl, An introduction to this special section: passive seismic and microseismic - part 2, The Leading Edge, 1428-1435, 2012.

    Shemeta, J. E., E. A. Eide, M. W. Hitzman, D. D. Clarke, E. Detournay, J. H. Dieterich, D. K. Dillon, S. J. Green, R.M. Habiger, R. K. McGuire, J. K. Mitchell, J. L. Smith, J. R. Ortego, and C. R. Gibbs. The Potential for Induced Seismicity in Energy Technologies, The Leading Edge, 31(12), 1438-1444.

    Shemeta, J., Keeping an ear to the ground. Instrumentation and Monitoring for Induced Seismicity.
    Presented at SPE/SEG Injection Induced Seismicity meeting, 12-14 September 2012, Broomfield, CO.

    Sarkar, Sudipta, Andrew Jupe, Julie Shemeta, Anca Rosca, and Robert Langan, Uncertainty in microseismic event source locations associated with a fracture stimulation in a tight sand when using one, two, or more borehole geophone arrays, Istanbul International Geophysical Conference and Oil and Gas Exposition, 17-19 September, 2012, Istanbul, Turkey.

    Shemeta, Julie, Murray W. Hitzman, Elizabeth A. Eide, Donald D. Clarke, Emmanuel Detournay, James H. Dieterich, David K. Dillon, Sidney J. Green, Robert M. Habiger, Robin K. McGuire, James K. Mitchell, John L. (Bill) Smith, and Jason R. Ortego and Courtney R. Gibbs, The Potential for Induced Seismicity in Energy Technologies, SPE/SEG Injection Induced Seismicity meeting, 12-14 September 2012, Broomfield, CO.

    Shemeta, J. (invited) Overview of microseismic monitoring of hydraulic fracturing for unconventional oil and gas plays, presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 5-9 December 2011, San Francisco, CA.

    Rosca,A, S. Sarkar, S., A. Jupe, J. Shemeta, and B. Langan, Uncertainty In Microseismic Event Locations When Using Two Borehole Geophone Arrays: Fracture Stimulation In A Tight Sand, Presented at the SEG Workshop on Gas Shales, Chengdu, China, April 1, 2011.

    Shemeta, J. (invited), The History of Microseismic Technology and the Impact it has made in Unconventional Reservoirs, Global Theater presentation, Society of Exploration Geophysicists Annual meeting 2010, Denver, CO.

    Waldron, A., J. Shemeta, E. Gaucher, S. Hunt, D. Cooke, and S. Chipperfield, Not a shot in the dark: Low-cost demonstration of microseismic feasibility in a high.risk environment. SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts 2010, p. 2120-2124.

    Shemeta, J., (invited), Induced fracture mapping with microseismic: background and case histories, Denver Well Log Society Spring workshop: Formation Evaluation Challenges in the Rockies, March 10, 2010.

    Shemeta, J. and P. Anderson, It.s a matter of size: Magnitude and moment estimates for microseismic data, The Leading Edge, 29, p. 296-302, 2010.

    Reiter, D., W. Rodi and J. Shemeta, Assessing the uncertainties of borehole microseismic event locations in hydraulic fracturing applications, CSEG Microseismic Workshop: Breaking Preconceptions, 13-15 Oct. 2009.

    Willis, M.E., Willis, K.M., Burns, D.R., J. Shemeta, N.J. House, Fracture quality image from 4D VSP and microseismic data at Jonah Field, WY, SEG Houston 2009 International Exposition and Annual Meeting, Houston TX, SEG expanded abstracts 28 (2009), p. 4110-4114.

    Weijers, Y. Kama, J. Shemeta, S. Cumella, Bigger is better - Hydraulic fracturing in the Mesaverde formation in the Piceance Basin, AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Denver CO, June, 2009.

    J. E. Shemeta, S. C. Maxwell, , N. R. Warpinski, C. Waltman, Z. Phillips, T. Riebel, J. Kinser, G. Hinds, T. Green, Stacking Seismograms to Improve Microseismic Images, SPE 108103-PA, SPE Production & Operations, p. 156-164, Feb. 2009.

    S.C. Maxwell, J. Du and J. Shemeta, Passive seismic and surface monitoring of geomechanical deformation associated with steam injection, The Leading Edge, 27, p. 1176, 2008.

    Willis, M.E., Burns, D.E, Willis, K.M., House, N.J. and J. Shemeta, Hydraulic fracture quality from time lapse VSP and microseismic data, SEG Expanded Abstracts 27, p. 1565, 2008.

    S.C. Maxwell, J. Du and J. Shemeta, Monitoring Steam Injection Deformation Using Microseismicity and Tiltmeters, presented at San Francisco 2008, US Rock Mechanics Symposium, June 29-July 2, 2008, ARMA 08.335.

    S.C. Maxwell, J. Shemeta, E. Campbell and D. Quirk, Microseismic Deformation Rate Monitoring, 2008

    SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Denver, Colorado, USA, 21-24 September 2008, SPE 116596.

    N. House and J. Shemeta, Understanding hydraulic fractures in tight-gas sands through the integration of borehole microseismic data, three-dimensional surface seismic data, and three-dimensional vertical seismic profile data: A Jonah field case study, in S. P. Cumella, K. W. Shanley, and W. K. Camp, eds., Understanding, exploring and developing tight.gas sands - 2005 Vail Hedberg Conference : AAPG Hedberg Series, no. 3, p. 77-86.

    S.C. Maxwell, J. Du, J. Shemeta, U. Zimmer, N. Boroumand, and L. Griffin, Passive seismic and surface deformation monitoring of steam injection, First Break, vol. 26, p. 53-59, May 2008.

    M.E. Willis, D.R. Burns, J. Shemeta, N.J. House, Fracture Quality Images From 4D VSP and Microseismic Data at Jonah Field, WY, SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts 2008: pp. 1565-1569.

    M. E. Willis, D.R. Burns, K.M. Willis, N. J. House, J. Shemeta, 2008, Hydraulic fracture quality using microseismic and time lapse 3-D VSP data to locate scattered seismic energy: Jonah Field, Wyoming, Expanded Abs. 14th Ann. 3D Seismic Symposium, Rocky Mtn. Assoc. Geol., Denver, CO., March 17, 2008.

    S.C. Maxwell, Du, J., Shemeta, J., 2008, Monitoring Steam Injection Deformation Using Microseismicity and Tiltmeters, 42nd US Rock Mechanics Symposium and 2nd U.S.-Canada Rock Mechanics Symposium, held in San Francisco, June 29.July 2, 2008, ARMA 08-335

    J. Shemeta, S. Maxwell, N. Warpinski, G. Hinds, J. Huck, J. Kinser, S. Quimby, C. Waltman, 2007. Digital Stacking of Passive Seismograms, SEG Expanded Abstracts 26, 1302-1306, 2007.

    S. Maxwell, J. Du, J. Shemeta, U. Zimmer, N. Boroumand and L. Griffin, Passive Seismic and Surface Deformation Monitoring of Steam Injection, SEG Expanded Abstracts 26, p. 1327, 2007.

    J.E. Shemeta, T.L. Davis, M. Roth, R.B. Riley, Seeing Beyond the Frac: Integration of hydraulic fracture mapping with multi component 3D seismic data, 2007 SPE Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Technology Symposium, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., 16-18 April 2007, SPE 108160.

    S.C. Maxwell, J. Shemeta and N. House, Integrated Anisotropic Velocity Modeling Using Perforation Shots, Passive Seismic and VSP Data, SEG Expanded Abstracts 2006 Annual Meeting , p. 301-301.

    Maxwell, S. C., J. Shemeta, and N. House, Integrated Anisotropic Velocity Modeling Using Perforation Shots, Passive Seismic and VSP Data, 68th EAGE Conference and Exhibition incorporating SPE EUROPEC 2006, 12 June 2006.

    Session: Passive Seismic J. E. Shemeta, , S. Maxwell, , N. R. Warpinski, , S. Quimby, T. Riebel, , Z. Phillips, J. R. Kinser, G. Hinds, C.K. Waltman, Stacking Seismograms To Improve Microseismic Images, 2007 SPE Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Technology Symposium, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., 16-18 April 2007, SPE 108103.

    T. Davis, M. Roth and J. Shemeta, Renaissance at Rulison Field - Visualization of 9C/4-D Seismic with Borehole Microseismic Data, 2007, Expanded Abs. 13th Annual 3D Seismic Symposium, Rocky Mtn. Assoc. Geol., Denver, CO, 2007.

    S. Maxwell, J. Du, J. Shemeta, U. Zimmer, N. Boroumand, and L. Griffin, Passive Seismic and Surface Deformation Monitoring of Steam Injection, EAGE 2006 Dubai meeting on Passive Seismic.

    S. Maxwell, J. Shemeta, N. House, Integrated Anisotropic Velocity Modeling Using Perforation Shots, Passive Seismic and VSP Data, CSEG meeting, Calgary, 2006.

    S. Maxwell, C. Waltman, and J. Shemeta, Digital array filtering to improve passive seismic signal quality, 2005 SEG Expanded Abstracts, 25, p. 1257-1260.

    N. House, B. Fuller, J. Shemeta, Passive Borehole Seismic, Surface and Borehole Tilt.Meter, 3-D and 3-D VSP Applied to Management of a Tight Gas Reservoir, Green River Basin, Wyoming, Denver Geophysical Society and Rocky Mountain Area Geologist 11th annual 3D Symposium, February, 2005, Denver Colorado.

    N. House, J. Shemeta, B. Fuller, S. Wolfe, Shake, Rattle and Tilt: Understanding hydraulic fractures in tight gas sands, AAPG HEDBERG CONFERENCE, Understanding Exploring and Developing Tight Gas Sands, April 24-29, 2005, Vail, Colorado.

    House, N., B. Fuller, J. Shemeta, and M. Sterling, Integration of Surface Seismic, 3D VSP, and Microseismic Hydraulic Fracture Mapping to Improve Tight Gas Sand Production in a Complex Reservoir: 74th Annual International Meeting, SEG, Expanded Abstracts , p. 414-416.

    Ganefianto, N. and J. E. Shemeta, Development strategy for the Awibengkok Geothermal Field, West Java, Indonesia. Indonesian Petroleum Association Proceedings 1996, Volume 2, p. 453-462.

    Zajac, B., J.M. Stock, and J.E. Shemeta, Cook Inlet stress state from breakouts in deviated boreholes, EOS, V. 75, n 44, pp. 592, 1994.

    Shemeta, J.E., W.B. Minner, R.G. Hickman, P.A. Johnston, C.A. Wright and N. Wachi, Geophysical monitoring during a hydraulic fracture in a fractured reservoir: Tiltmeter and passive seismic results, Proceedings of the Eurock .94, Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 929-944, 1994.

    Shemeta, J.E., New Analyses of Three-Component Digital Data for Aftershocks of the 1983 Borah Peak, Idaho, Earthquake: Source Parameters and Refined Hypocenters, M.S. Thesis, 128 pp., University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1989. Weaver, C.S., W.C. Grant and J.E. Shemeta, Local Crustal Extension at Mount St. Helens, Washington, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 92, p. 10,170-10,178, 1987.

    Shemeta, J.E. and C.S. Weaver, Seismicity Accompanying the May 18, 1980 Eruption of Mt. St. Helens, Washington, in "Mount St. Helens: Five Years Later", edited by S.A.C. Keller, p. 44-58, Eastern Washington University Press, 1986.