Basin and Energy Research Section
The Basin & Energy Research section originated from the merger of the LSU Basin Research Institute (est. 1984) into the Louisiana Geological Survey in 2000. BRI research was dedicated to the geology and generation of fossil fuel plays of the Cenozoic North Louisiana Salt Basin. Its merger into LGS broadened the geographic and research focus on genetic and resource signatures and processes of a regional marine marginal siliciclastic system accommodated by salt migration and lithospheric flexing along passive and dormant divergent lithospheric boundaries.
Due to limited bedrock exposures of the major stratigraphic intervals, analyses and concepts of geology and petroleum reserves rely heavily on subsurface data, including seismic imagery, geophysical logs, mud logs, bore-hole cores and cuttings, and production records from oil & gas wells. Oil and gas exploration, a vital industry and leading force for the Louisiana economy, continues to produce new data as part of its prospection and drilling programs. From sedimentologic, litho- and biostratigraphic, and geodynamic principles, LGS Basin & Energy Research scientists are able to incorporate the new information into existing and new geological models that, in turn, provide additional guidance for future exploration and for geo-tectonic models of similar geo-synformal provinces around the world.
Independent oil & gas producers of Louisiana and major corporations world-wide especially value information disseminated by the Basin & Energy Research section in LGS publications, in peer-reviewed articles, and in Conferences, Seminars, and Short Courses.
Basin and Energy Research Staff
Chacko J. John, PhD
Gratis Emeritus Professor
Email: cjohn@lsu.edu
Telephone: 225-578-8681