Oil: A Political Tool
Oil is the world’s most powerful political tool at the moment. While softer supply/demand balances point to weaker oil prices in the first half of 2012, global geopolitical risk outweighs…
In the News
Crowns of Nature: The Majestic Landscape of Guilin
A landscape of harmony and peace, with scenery made for poetry and romance: the majestic karst landscape of the north-east Guangxi Zhuang Region in south-west China is one of nature’s…
Shaping the Future of Geoscience in the Middle East
The Middle East plays a pivotal role in the oil industry, and so GEO 2012, the 10th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, promises to be an exciting event, with…
Cappadocia, Turkey: Civilisations in a volcanic terrain
Neogene-Quaternary volcanic rocks, atop or around sedimentary basins, cover an extensive tract of the Central Anatolian Plateau. These rocks in concert with faults, water and wind have created lofty summits,…
80 Years of Discovery
Having just celebrated its 80th anniversary, CGGVeritas is one of the longest established service companies in the oil industry, and now employs over 7,200 people in 70 countries. “…the practical…
The Earth’s Oldest Fossils
On a splendid white beach in Shark Bay, Western Australia, I finally found the worlds oldest fossils. They are commonly referred to as living rock, and they have ruled the…
Gateway to the 49th State
Having evolved from a tent city to Alaska’s commercial and tourist hub within less than 100 years, Anchorage offers both economic opportunity and endless adventure. I took my first oil…
A Truly Magical Place
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Northern Tanzania is a World Heritage site renowned for its beauty and unique wildlife and one of the few places where active continental break-up and…
A Window to a Brilliant Future
How can we connect with the next generation of geoscientists and engineers to bring them into the hydrocarbon industry? “We have been actively working with universities to help place graduates…
New Digital Africa Maps
New digital maps, based on ones originally produced by Africa specialist Ed Purdy, should shed new light on the exploration of the continent. Ed Purdy was an explorationist, academician and…
From Palm Oil to Petroleum
Lagos: the Liverpool of West Africa Lagos is famous for its teeming crowds and chaotic traffic jams, full to the brim with noise, pollution and crime. As the commercial centre…
The First Commercial North Sea Oil Discovery
The discovery of the Ekofisk Field in 1969 marked the beginning of a new era in the oil industry. Max Melli, the Italian well site geologist, was the first to…