The Birth of the Modern Oil Industry
The most important oil well ever drilled was sunk in the middle of the wooded landscape of northwest Pennsylvania in August 1859. It is known as the Drake Well, after…
In the News
Oil from Babylon to Iraq
Iraq, which has been on the mass media’s spotlight and international focus in recent years, has a record of oil and bitumen dating back to the earliest human civilizations more…
Half a Century of Oil in Libya
2008 marked the 50th anniversary of the very first commercial oil discovery in the Sirt Basin, Libya, in 1958. In the years since then, 22 giant and more than 25…
I-Guazú: Great Water – Great Volcanism
Iguaçu Falls is one of the most spectacular natural sceneries in the world, caused by a wide-spread volcanic event in conjunction with continental rifting in the Early Cretaceous. This rifting…
The Groningen Gas Field
The Groningen field in the northern Netherlands is the largest gas field in Europe and the tenth largest in the world. Since its discovery in 1959 it has been instrumental…
Mali: A Country on the Cusp?
Mali is the largest country in West Africa and yet is one of the least known to the hydrocarbon industry, with a total of only five exploration wells. It is…
Hiking in the Triassic
When visiting the dolomites of northern italy, you can combine hiking, biking and climbing with scenery dominated by towering pinnacles and plateaus. This spectacular late Cenozoic mountain range, home to…
The Mid-Atlantic Evergreen Volcanoes
Island jumping in the Azores is highly recommended. In this way you can experience the geological wonders of these islands, which all owe their existence to the plate tectonics within…
Colombia: Moving Out of the Shadows
The announcement of a new licensing round in Colombia emphasises how the South American country is moving out of the shadow of violence and into a new era of stability…
International Year of Planet Earth: Canada – Making Good Progress
International Year of Planet Earth Canada Making Good Progress
A New Frontier – Blocks Available
The Uruguayan offshore sedimentary basins are virtually unexplored. The time is now right to test the potential of rift basins on trend with the productive San Jorge Basin in Argentina…
GEO Tourism: Marvelous Vistas
Gateway to huge offshore oil reserves, Rio de Janeiro and southeast Brazil offers stunning scenery and geologic evidence of ancient mountains and the forces that spawned two continents. Magnificent beaches,…