Delighting in Geophysics
Dr. Thomas A. Smith founded Seismic Micro-Technology (SMT) in 1984 and led the development of the widely adopted Kingdom Suite software suite for seismic interpretation. He went on to found Read More
New Oil Play Excites Australia
Apache announced on 18 August that its shallow water Phoenix South-1 exploration well in permit WA-435-P, 180 km north of Port Hedland, had intersected at least four discrete oil columns Read More
Indonesia: New Regime Creates Expectations
What effect will the new modernizing president have on the oil and gas industry in Indonesia? Indonesian presidential elections held on July 9, 2014 saw Joko Widodo, leader of the Indonesian Read More
Ideas and Innovation
“We usually find oil in a new place with old ideas. Sometimes, we find oil in an old place with a new idea, but we seldom find much oil in an Read More
China Seeks More Gas
With its vast shale gas resources proving harder to access than anticipated, China is looking to Russian gas to satisfy its rising demand. China is believed to hold the world’s largest Read More
Capital Discipline – A Shake Up For The Industry
Despite record levels of capital investment since 2005, oil production outside of North America has virtually flat-lined and investors are losing confidence. How is the industry reacting? To say there Read More
Libya’s missing barrels
The Brent oil price continues to slide as Libyan oil is expected to gradually return to the market after two key export terminals, which had been blocked for almost a year by Read More
Oil is Still in the Lead
Oil is still our largest energy provider. And while fossil fuels predominate, renewables have a long way to go before they can make a considerable impact. Total energy consumption increased Read More
Gabon: Some Hope for Gas
Eni has made a significant gas and condensate discovery with an exploration well testing the Nyonie Deep prospect in Block D4, approximately 13 km from the coast and 48 km from Libreville, the capital of Read More
The Secret World of Oil
Ken Silverstein Verso Books Dodgy practice in the oil industry may appear to be a ‘yawn, yawn’ subject – don’t we all know that companies lobby and pay into campaign funds? And Read More
Hoop Basin: Drilling success and playground for new exploration methods
The Hoop Basin The integration of several data sets will be essential for hydrocarbon exploration in the Hoop Fault Complex area of the Barents Sea. The Hoop Fault Complex has Read More
Pakistan: First Discovery in Eastern Potwar Plateau
The Ghauri Joint Venture (GJV) is claiming a ‘landmark achievement’ with its Ghauri X-1 well, located in district Jhelum, Punjab Province in Pakistan, as it is the first hydrocarbon discovery in the eastern part of Read More
Tanzania: Third LNG Train Likely?
The partnership of BG (operator) and Ophir have confirmed an important new gas discovery in deepwater Block 1, Tanzania. Drilled using the ‘Deepsea Metro 1’ drillship, the Taachui 1ST well, close to the Read More
Not for the Faint-Hearted
The Frackers (2013) Author: Gregory Zuckerman Portfolio/Penguin This is the book of our time, the story of the US shale energy revolution, told through the lives of the ‘part gamblers, part salesmen, part geologists’ who were Read More
Three Disappointments in the Barents Sea
None of Statoil’s three wells in the Barents Sea in 2014 were associated with EM anomalies of any significance. It is therefore not surprising that not one of them proved Read More
Imaging the next hydrocarbon province
Unlocking offshore Greece: New regional GeoStreamer dataset provides key answers In preparation for the 2014 licensing round, PGS, on behalf of YPEKA, acquired 12,500 km of 2D seismic data offshore Read More
Broadband Seismic Technology and Beyond PART X: IsoMetrix – Isometric Sampling
IsoMetrix is more than broadband seismic. It goes beyond, by reconstructing the deghosted wavefield in 3D, and performs fine spatial sampling in all directions. In this article we ask: how Read More
Mongolia. Potential in an Emerging Economy.
Mongolia’s oil and gas E&P sector has been characterized by, well, not very much – up until now. Mongolia emerged as an independent and fledgling democracy following the collapse of Read More
Exploration in the East African Rift System
Billions of barrels of oil have been discovered in the East African Rifts in recent years, but it remains highly underexplored with only two rifts partially explored so far. The Read More
Whale Hunters Seek Elephants
Atlantic Petroleum is a small independent E&P company with big ambitions. With a strong concentration on technical expertise and some very creative geoscientists, it is looking at some exciting exploration Read More
The Fracking Debate in Europe
AAPG Distinguished Lecturer Terry Engelder assesses the history behind European bans on fracking. During a recent trip to Europe as part of my AAPG Distinguished Lecture Tour, my most popular Read More
Technology Driving Unconventional Exploration.
The oil and gas industry is changing more and faster than ever. A historic shift is underway, as each day brings new technology and techniques. We bring you a quick Read More
Never Hold Back
Dr. Robert E. Sheriff learned early in his career “to never withhold information or ideas for later use,” leaving a lasting legacy to his family, the geophysics community, and our Read More
Unveiling Oil Targets in the Colombian Amazonia. At a Salsa Tempo!
Remote sensing is a very efficient and effective tool for oil and gas exploration, since it enables the quick acquisition of relevant information and target definition in areas of considerable Read More
The Chief Explorer
Geologist Dr. Jeroen Peters describes his role as Shell’s Chief Explorer and reflects on his career. Having been born below sea level in the muddy western part of The Netherlands, I developed Read More
Aberdeen: The Granite City
An oil boom city, Aberdeen’s growth since the 1970s into one of the main global hubs of the oil industry has shaped and defined the modern city.
Falling Brent.
Is the oil super-cycle finally on its downward turn? It seems counter-intuitive but are predictions of Brent at $85 credible? And what are the implications for the industry? GUEST EDITOR Read More
Fracture, Fracture Everywhere – Part II
How and why do fractures occur in rocks? Fractures including joints and faults are commonly found in rocks and are important fluid pathways – hence their significance for petroleum, groundwater, Read More
Lakagigar: Catastrophe & Climate Change.
Miguel Ángel Caja’s spectacular header photo, which shows the 25 km-long row of craters of Lakagigar, in southern Iceland, reveals a unique geological site and dramatic landscape. It also tells Read More
Duncan Clarke: Economics and the Oil Game in Africa
Duncan Clarke is one of the best known names in the upstream oil industry as an advisor to governments and oil companies, the author of a number of books, founder Read More
3D Seismic Data and Geohazard Analysis
The last few years have seen a growing focus on shallow hazard analysis and, in particular, the structural and stratigraphic interpretation of 3D seismic data to identify and delineate such Read More
Arctic Availability
Is the rapidly melting Arctic ice unlocking opportunities for hydrocarbon exploration? Conflict or Cooperation? The Arctic is warming at an alarming rate, a development that some believe will be a Read More
Caspian Sea: Frontier exploration in the middle Caspian basin
Potential in the middle Caspian basin CGG multi-client 2D seismic data across the Central Caspian Sea helps provide understanding of current and new petroleum systems in a frontier area. The Read More