Geology Archives - Page 2 of 6

Geology

How careful core description and detailed biostratigraphic analysis can delineate sub-seismic reservoir zones in a highly mud-prone system

This study was undertaken by PetroStrat in collaboration with Stratum AS (QEMSCAN), Barnwell Parker Geoscience Limited (seismic interpretation) and HM Research Associates (heavy mineral provenance analysis). Together, we have completed a year-long multi-client appraisal of approximately 765 m of mid-Cretaceous…

John Cater, Petrostrat

July 10, 2024

Heat flow as a basin model calibration? Not really

Many exploration geologists who work in data-lean basins or who do not have access to well data turn to published heat flow data as a calibration for basin models. More than one of my clients was surprised when I expressed…

David Rajmon

June 14, 2024

Geomodelling for CCS, a bridge too far?

Traditionally, geomodels are built in a simplistic fashion, taking into account the inherent degree of uncertainty in the input data. Attempting to accurately depict an unseen geological object, often multiple thousands of meters deep underground, carries its fair share of…

Raffik Lazar, Geomodl International

April 11, 2024

“We should have looked at that regional seismic line with more care before signing off on a plan for drilling”

We, geologists, have the primacy of observation of rocks dinned into us during our earliest work in the field, with that message then reinforced by later events in our lives. For me, such reinforcement came in dramatic form in the…

Bryan Lovell - University of Cambridge

March 26, 2024

Bouma and Tybalt

The Bouma sequence, proposed by Arnold Bouma, has been a cornerstone in the interpretation of turbidites and high-density sediment currents since its publication in 1962. The Bouma sequence is a model of sediment-laden gravity flows and sedimentary structures. It represents…

Marcos Asensio

March 14, 2024

Can a seal fail?

A seal is a rock that has a higher capillary entry pressure relative to other adjacent rocks. The higher the contrast, the greater the hydrocarbon column it can hold. The sealing capacity is a function of interfacial tension between the…

David Rajmon

March 8, 2024

Don’t forget to look deeper

As oil and gas geoscientists, we often focus on the reservoir we are targeting. Seldom do we consider what might be happening deeper, especially in basement rocks. However, what happens there can just about always have an impact on what’s…

Molly Turko and Alex Biholar - Devon Energy

March 5, 2024

Not as straight as we sometimes think

Of course, field observations have long shown that faults are not the perfectly straight lines we often see in schematic cross-sections. However, subsurface data do not always allow the detailed interpretation of faults, especially at the depths where oil and…

Henk Kombrink

February 22, 2024

Unlocking Permian and Carboniferous petroleum systems of the Southern North Sea

The northern part of the UK Southern North Sea (SNS) and the adjacent Mid North Sea High (MNSH) have seen a recent revival when it comes to exploration activity, with the Pensacola oil and gas discovery and an appraisal well…

Patrick Barnard - APT

February 21, 2024

Have bottom currents defined the Golden Lane and determined updip prospectivity?

Since the prolific Cretaceous oil kitchen of the Canje Formation offshore Guyana was demonstrated by Lawrence and Bray (1989), an anomaly related to the lack of exploration encouragement away from the Corentyne region has been present (Figure 1). This picture…

Nick Cameron - GeoInsight

February 19, 2024

Are outcrops the key to unlock the CCUS potential in the Middle East?

The Middle East region is under the spotlight of the carbon-neutral worldwide ambition. COP28 was a testimony of the effort put by the regional energy powerhouses. What if the success of the CCUS effort in the Middle East region is…

Raffik Lazar - GeomodL International

February 7, 2024

Tidal influence in a deep marine turbiditic succession

The Suriname-Guyana basin is a genuine exploration hotspot these days. But it is not only a hotspot from an economical point of view, it is also an area where new sedimentological insights emerge from as new seismic is being acquired…

François Raisson, TotalEnergies

January 18, 2024

The global energy sector from a subsurface perspective