Not too many, not too few
The Shewashan oil field is located in one of the world’s most famous petroleum provinces – the Zagros fold and thrust belt – not far from the major Kirkuk field.…
Geology & Geophysics
Greenland’s unconformity
This fantastic example of an unconformity, where steeply dipping Devonian strata meet Permian sediments, is exposed on the north side of Wegener Halvø in East Greenland (71° 44 ‘ north).…
How to generate an oil accumulation in a gas-prone petroleum system?
Australia’s NW Shelf is characterised by a gas-dominated petroleum system, where Middle Jurassic deltaic coals of the Plover Formation make up the main source rocks. That is why oil occurrences…
Recognising structural inversion
In structural geology, inversion describes a situation where a fault or structure is reactivated with the opposite sense of movement from its original displacement. The most common type is positive…
When the lithium cycle bites back
Commodity cycles rarely announce their turning points. They emerge quietly, through inventory data, project pipelines, and subtle shifts in physical markets – long before consensus catches up. The lithium price…
Geomechanical models – not a luxury but a risk management tool
After over a hundred years of research and development, geomechanics modeling is not just a nice-to-have accessory in a drilling campaign, but it is one of the main pillars to…
Love and sex and oil and passion
We also never forget those true loves. We carry them for life. My first time and first love was Beatrice. I consider myself very lucky. I was young, and she…
Looking for a low-risk infill well? You might want to consider areas of weak 4D response
When porosities and fluid contrasts are modest, the acoustic impedance (AI) changes associated with water sweeping oil can be small, even at relatively shallow depths. That is the case in…
How structural setting and hydrocarbon phase are closely related
The Papuan Basin is located across a tectonically active area and is dominated by a gas-prone Jurassic petroleum system with a whole-of-system Gas-Liquid Ratio of 30,000 scf/bbl. The complex geology,…
Going deeper for salt mining
The Dutch subsurface is well known for its gas resources, hosting the world-famous Groningen field. What is less well known is that there is plenty of salt, too. These evaporites…
What do air hockey and induced seismicity have in common?
At first glance, air hockey – a fast-paced arcade game – and induced seismicity – earthquakes triggered by human activity – seem unrelated. Yet, both share a fascinating connection through…
The Grand Canyon of the Middle East
The outcrop photo shows what is commonly known as the Grand Canyon of the Middle East: Wadi Ghul and Wadi Nakr in the Jebel Shams Massif in northern Oman. From…