The predictive power of palynology
In a major turnaround for a profession that fell out of favour in the 1980s, a number of palynology consultancies are growing rapidly and struggling to meet the demand for…
Geology & Geophysics
Looking down the wellbore
What is petrophysics? Spindletop was a PR disaster for the oil industry – not just because of the environmental damage, but also because it created a false impression that finding…
Folds and folding – Part I
Chevron folds on Ribbon Chert (deepwater radiolarian chert, part of the Franciscan accretionary complex), Oregon. Source: Dr Marli Miller/University of Oregon. Folds, faults and joints are the main types of…
Don’t wake up Mungibeddu!
‘Mungibeddu’ (‘the mountain’ in the Sicilian dialect) has impressive credentials. It is a candidate to join UNESCO‘s World Heritage list, and was designated as a ‘Decade Volcano’ by the International…
Source Rock Subcropping in the Baffin Bay
Seabed samples from the Baffin Bay document an active hydrocarbon system offshore northwest Greenland. The northwest Greenland shelf is a frontier petroleum province in the arctic Baffin Bay. Limited seismic…
Exploring for mammoths
Despite 6 dry wells and limited interest from the oil industry, the search for oil and gas in the large areas west of Greenland will continue. Optimism is greater than…
Reservoirs come in all shapes and sizes, and some are more difficult than others
New seismic streamer methodology has facilitated resolution of complex sand bodies called injecties. Reservoirs come in all shapes and sizes and some are more difficult than others