Vol. 12

Issue 4

This edition of GEO ExPro Magazine focuses on Frontier Exploration, South East Asia and New Technologies.

Columns

5 Editorial

6 Market Update

8 Regional Update

10 Update

16 Licensing Opportunities

18 A Minute to Read

52 GEO Media: ‘Strata’ Smith Enters the Digital Age

54 GEO Profile: Reg Nelson – A True Explorer

68 GEO Tourism: The Active Volcanoes of Hawai‘i

74 History of Oil: A Golden Celebration for Silver Seas

86 Recent Advances in Technology: Gas Hydrates in Outer Space (2)

90 What I Do: The Stratigrapher

92 Exploration Update

94 GEO Media: The Morality of a Zealot

96 Q&A: Putting Science into Policy

98 Hot Spot: Sarawak Discoveries Boost Malaysia

100 Global Resource Management

Features

22 Cover Story: North Korea – Hydrocarbon Exploration and Potential

28 New Technologies: Smart Fields – People, Processes and Technology

32 Industry Issues: Walking an Arctic Tightrope

36 Seismic Foldout: Offshore Mauritania and Senegal

42 Technology Explained: Simplifying Digital Rock Physics Workflows

46 Exploration: Waking up to Papua New Guinea

58 Seismic Foldout: Driven to Success on the Seismic Superhighway

64 Reservoir Management: The Pain and Sorrow of Reservoir Modeling

80 Seismic Foldout: Gulf of Mexico – Post Well Analysis

Articles

The Morality of a Zealot

Regular contributor Nikki Jones reviews the book that claims to explain ‘why humanity’s use of fossil fuels is actually a healthy, moral choice.’ On the broad spectrum of views on Read More

Gulf of Mexico: post well analysis

Interdisciplinary approach to gain confidence Using post well analysis in an interdisciplinary approach leads to a more confident understanding of complex petroleum systems.   Due to the complex nature of strata Read More

Seismic to Boost Mexican Exploration

Despite being labeled as ‘historic’ and ‘ground-breaking’, Mexico’s first ever offering of oil and gas blocks to private and foreign investors proved to be less than spectacular. Last year the Read More

The stratigrapher

Many stratigraphers are employed in the oil industry both within oil companies, and more commonly, in service companies; their task is to determine the geological succession in well sections, in Read More

Getting More with Less

Will low oil prices bring the unconventional revolution to its knees? The past few years have brought some major changes to the global oil markets. The US has taken over as the Read More

Waking up to Papua New Guinea

Perched on the edge of a subduction zone, Papua New Guinea bears little resemblance to most of the world’s petroleum terranes. But the small Pacific nation is suddenly on the Read More

The Need For New Frontier Exploration

Over the last years offshore exploration activity has been at a historic high, without any significant corresponding discoveries. The result is a considerable increase in the global average discovery cost. Read More

Seismic to Simulation… and Beyond

Emerson Process Management has recently increased its full reservoir lifecycle capabilities through the acquisition of flow assurance and production optimization software company Yggdrasil and the incorporation of its solutions within Read More

Little and Large

Seismic supply companies are helping operators face the downturn by providing cost-effective enhancements to existing product portfolios. With the oil price for this year staying at the low levels seen Read More

Putting Science into Policy

The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) set up the Geoscience and Energy Policy Office in Washington, D.C. in 2005. Edith Allison, Director of the Office since 2012, explains its Read More

Sarawak Discoveries Boost Malaysia

Malaysia’s bid to turnaround the decline in its ageing petroleum reserves has exceeded expectations thanks to a series of major discoveries offshore Sarawak. Malaysia has long been a heavy hitter Read More

Offshore Mauritania and Senegal

Revisiting a 2D regional seismic dataset and integrating information from recent significant discoveries. The North West Africa Atlantic Margin (NWAAM) region was underexplored for many years, but since the discovery Read More

Iran Returns to the Market

With Iranian export sanctions about to be lifted, what effect will this potential influx of hydrocarbons have on the already pressurised price of oil? In July, Iran signed an historic Read More

Reg Nelson. A True Explorer

Although recently retired, Reg Nelson is still aiming for more in petroleum, minerals and public life. Reg Nelson retired from Beach Energy after a remarkable 23 years in the top Read More

Walking an Arctic Tightrope

Relying heavily on the petroleum industry for revenue, yet on the pure waters of the Arctic Ocean for subsistence, native Alaskans struggle to find a delicate balance. Before the historical Read More

An Education in Oil

How can the media best engage the public on fossil fuels? Documentary or drama? The BBC has been attempting both. The 1st of August 2015 marks the bicentenary of the publication Read More

The Active Volcanoes of Hawai‘i

Breathtaking views, surreal landscapes, and the chance to come face to face with an active volcano, the Island of Hawai‘i offers the geotourist encounters of a lifetime, and scientists a Read More

AWG: A Common Love of Earth Science

The Association for Women Geoscientists is devoted to enhancing the role of women in geosciences and to introduce young women to geoscience careers. The Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) is Read More