Issue 2

This edition of GEO ExPro focuses on North America and the Gulf of Mexico; New Technologies; Near Surface Geophysics; and Changing Public Perceptions.

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Columns

5 Editorial

6 Regional Update: Dreary Investment Outlook

8 Licensing Update: Covid-19 Hits Licensing Rounds

10 A Minute to Read

30 Exploration: Central Utah Thrust Belt – A Lost Cause?

34 Recent Advances in Technology: From Arrhenius to CO2 Storage – Part VII

48 GEO Education: Big Data and Post- Graduate Training

54 Hot Spot: Pannonian Basin

56 GEO Chemistry: Geochemistry and Microbiology in Seep Prospecting

60 GEO Profi le: Thomas Chidsey – Going the Extra Mile

70 Exploration Update

72 GEO Media: Travels to Rocky Places

74 Q&A: Girls into Geoscience

76 FlowBack: Time to Regroup

Features

12 Cover Story: GEO Science Explained: Locating Sweet Spots: Shale Petroleum Systems

16 Exploration: Mexico’s Energy Reform

20 Seismic Foldout: Exploring the Highly Prospective Orphan Basin

26 GEO Physics: Marine Site Investigation and Reducing Risk

38 Technology: China’s Deep, Hot, Harsh Reservoirs Spur Innovation

42 Seismic Foldout: The ‘Searcher-Engine for Oil’ in Mexico’s Hottest Hotspot

50 GEO Tourism: A Kerry Diamond

64 Seismic Foldout: Morocco – Lixus Off shore

Articles

Significant Jebel Ali Gas Discovery in the UAE

In February, the UAE announced the significant discovery of 80 Tcf of in-place shallow gas resources, named Jebel Ali. Location of the Jebel Ali gas discovery. In February, the Read More

Geoscientist Thomas Chidsey: Going the Extra Mile

Thomas Chidsey quietly goes about his work at the Utah Geological Survey, rarely making any headlines or seeking notoriety, yet this dedicated and humble geoscientist carries out those ‘extras’ that Read More

Buscador: The ‘Searcher-Engine for Oil’ in Mexico’s hottest hotspot

Offshore Mexico: extraordinary hydrocarbon play systems identified Improvements in seismic processing are revealing huge potential in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The Mexican part of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Read More

The Dingle Peninsula: A Kerry Diamond

The locals call them ‘Kerry Diamonds’; beautifully clear, euhedral quartz crystals found in fault zones at the western end of the Dingle Peninsula in south-west Ireland – but the real Read More

Geochemistry and Microbiology in Seep Prospecting

Studies oﬀshore Nova Scotia have shown that combining geochemistry and microbial genomics can eﬀectively de-risk oﬀ shore deepwater oil and gas exploration. Hydrocarbon seep detection is often the first step Read More

Central Utah Thrust Belt: A Lost Cause?

The 2004 Covenant oil field discovery promised to open up a very favorable, large onshore oil province. Thirty additional wells have been drilled in the play since, but only one Read More

Encouraging Girls Into Geoscience

Sarah Boulton and Jodie Fisher from Plymouth University tell us about Girls into Geoscience, a UK initiative aimed at letting female secondary school pupils know more about the subject. How Read More

Cleaning Up Oil Spills

Waste to tackle waste. Researchers at Flinders University in Australia have come up with a novel way to clean up oil spills, using waste cooking oil from fast food outlets. Read More

Orphan Basin, Canada: from regional prospect screening to reliable reservoir attributes estimation

Exploring the highly prospective Orphan Basin Eastern Canada is one of the most promising deepwater exploration areas in the world, where the implementation of state-of-the-art imaging technology is critical to Read More

Mexico’s Energy Reform

Five years on, what has Mexico’s energy reform delivered for the country’s oil and gas exploration and production ambitions? The Mexican Constitutional Energy Reform took place in 2014 in response Read More

Shearwater Enters Deepwater OBS Market

Provider of marine geophysical services Shearwater GeoServices has been awarded a major ocean bottom seismic (OBS) deepwater remotely operated survey (ROV) project by TGS and partner in the US Gulf Read More

A Dreary Investment Outlook for Oil and Gas in Gulf of Mexico?

Gulf of Mexico final investment decisions are likely to be put on hold, as oil and gas exploration and production companies join the budget-cutting parade. Exploration and production companies in Read More

The World in Freefall

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in some welcome shows of solidarity, as countries help each other out with medical assistance, urgent supplies and, importantly, research into vaccines and cures, and Read More

Oil and Gas Licensing Rounds Affected by Covid-19

A brief summary of oil and gas licensing rounds affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, that were announced by date of writing (April 2020). As Covid-19 spreads its infectious tentacles ever Read More

Mixed Oil Exploration Results in the Rhine Graben

Neptune with partner Palatina GeoCon are testing oil at Schwegenheim-1 in the German Rhine Graben. Location of the Schwegenheim-1 well in the German Rhine Graben. Neptune with partner Palatina GeoCon Read More

The Elusive Deepwater Gippsland Gas Prize

ExxonMobil have recently completed a three-well drilling campaign on VIC/P70 offshore Gippsland Basin, south-east Australia. Location of the Sculpin-1 well. ExxonMobil have recently completed a three-well drilling campaign on Read More

Recent Advances in Climate Change Research: Part VII – Arrhenius’ Greenhouse Rule for Carbon Dioxide

Here, we investigate the relationship between radiative forcing (heat warming) of carbon dioxide and its concentration in the atmosphere to better understand climate feedback and sensitivity. In Part II of Read More

Locating Sweet Spots: Shale Petroleum Systems

Petroleum system analysis has been a major tool in petroleum geoscience and exploration – but can it help locate shale ‘sweet spots’ and thus increase production, reduce risk and minimize Read More

Morocco: Lixus offshore – how new data analysis techniques are transforming a basin

Resolving Neogene clastic fairways Using modern analysis techniques to understand the true potential of reservoir systems in a diverse basin. The Lixus Offshore block is located within the Rharb Basin Read More

Marine Site Investigation and Reducing Risk

The evolving role of seismic reflection data within offshore site investigation. Marine site investigation is, at heart, about reducing risk. Sometimes it involves minimizing the risk to operations posed by Read More

GEO ExPro Vol. 17, No. 2 Out Now!

Geoscience magazine GEO ExPro Vol. 17, No. 2 is available for download. This edition of GEO ExPro focuses on North America and the Gulf of Mexico; New Technologies; Near Surface Read More

Oil and Gas Exploration Success in the Eastern European Pannonian Basin

The last three years’ technical exploration success rate in the eastern European Pannonian Basin ranges between 83 and 94%, while the commercial oil and gas success rate is at least Read More

The Guyana–Suriname Connection

Following the trend and showing that the Canje source kitchen does not stop at borders. The proposed Kwaskwasi well lies between the Maka Central discovery to the north-west and Sapakara Read More

Oil and gas exploration in The Philippines

Although the Philippines remains very much underexplored, working petroleum systems, proven hydrocarbon accumulations and an energy hungry economy suggest a promising future for oil and gas exploration and production in Read More

Banda Arc: broadband 2D seismic unlocks frontier area

New broadband imaging reveals prospectivity insights New high quality seismic datasets and a regional prospectivity study bring greater understanding of the distribution and extent of resource plays throughout the Read More

The global energy sector from a subsurface perspective