Geophysics

The forgotten value of (seismic) tapes

“I’m probably the only tape machine specialist left in northwest Europe”, says Egil Simones from ET Works when we meet at the EAGE Conference in Oslo this week. Egil is surely a specialist; he became involved in copying seismic data…

Did you know that rocks have memory?

The seismic signature of a sedimentary rock is strongly influenced by the geological history of the rock, e.g., the depositional environment, whether it has experienced tectonic burial and uplift, etc. These processes have direct impact on mineralogy, degree of sorting,…

Seeing the whole picture

During the pandemic, Lyme Bay Consulting took the opportunity to download all the Operator-released 3D seismic data in the UKCS to produce a series of Post-Stack Merged Seismic Volumes covering the Central North Sea (CNS), Outer Moray Firth (OMF), Northern…

Gradiometry – The new standard

The use of Airborne Gravity Gradiometry (AGG) for oil and gas exploration has expanded significantly since the year 2000, particularly in frontier areas. In some geological environments the use of this technology has become an essential tool and has been…

A clearer vision with seismic inversion

It takes a lot of people to drill a well and many different disciplines working together, like the moving parts of a complex machine. It has been said that oil is a boring (but necessary) product, but that this lack-lustre…

Improving seismic quality

With many of the world’s basins now explored, the search for new hydrocarbons is becoming dependent on improvements in seismic data quality. One of the new acquisition techniques is WesternGeco’s Over/Under technology, which involves the towing of multiple streamers at…

Seabed mineral exploration

Seabed mining is very much in the news today, following initiatives from the Norwegian authorities who are encouraging companies and organisations to develop technical solutions to help kick-start and service what could be both a local and a global industry.…

Mitigating Risk with Seismic Forward Modelling

Benefits of seismic forward modelling: mitigating risk is always a focus within the oil and gas industry but it becomes even more crucial in these times, with an ongoing pandemic and ensuing low oil price. Petroleum exploration and production are…

Ray-Based Seismic Modeling

Ray-based seismic modeling has come a long way and the motivation for this is simple enough: performing a modeling study is significantly cheaper than failing in the field! Field managers are required to make costly decisions, relying on data that…

Sustainable Geophysics

In what ways can geophysics be said to add value to society, economic systems and the environment? This was the question three Society of Exploration Geophysics (SEG) members asked themselves recently. To determine the answer, they mapped various different geophysical…

Renewed Interest in CSEM in Oil and Gas Exploration

Controlled Source ElectroMagnetic (CSEM) is a proven technique that has a strong future in helping solve certain oil and gas exploration and production challenges, especially when seismic data alone cannot provide a satisfactory answer. Controlled Source ElectroMagnetic (CSEM) methods have…

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 UneXploded Ordnance (UXO), shallow gas, and/or unexpected ground conditions. Other…