Issue 4

This edition of GEO ExPro focuses on South America and Deepwater Exploration; Interpretation Software; the Energy Transition.

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Columns

5 Editorial

6 Regional Update

8 Licensing Update

10 A Minute to Read

18 Hot Spot: Latin America: From Shallow Shelf to Deepwater

26 Technology Explained: The Future of Exploration

28 Exploration: The Pre-Salt Reservoirs of the South Atlantic

32 Industry Issues: The Oil Industry and Public Perception

34 GEO Education: Evolving the Future Workforce

48 Recent Advances in Technology: From Arrhenius to CO2 Storage – Part III

52 Technology Explained: Anomalies Indicate Potential

60 GEO Tourism: Oil Paves the Way in Trinidad

70 Industry Issues: Challenges and Opportunities in Africa

82 Q&A: Transformative Technologies

84 FlowBack: The Value of Satellite Data

Features

14 Cover Story: History of Oil: Vaca Muerta – How a Source Became a Reservoir

20 Seismic Foldout: Deepwater Santos Basin

38 Industry Issues: Digital Solutions Across the Energy Value Chain

42 Seismic Foldout: Bid Round Treasures Exposed by Ocean Currents

56 Exploration: South Atlantic – The Bigger Picture

64 Seismic Foldout: The Zambezi Delta Basin – A Complex Puzzle

72 GEO Education: From Outcrop Geology to Seismic… and Back!

78 Technology Explained: Virtual Drilling

Articles

2019 bid round treasures exposed by ocean currents

Drifting towards 2019 bid round treasures Mixed/hybrid deepwater turbiditic-contouritic depositional systems are only just beginning to be understood, but show great potential. Several prolific discoveries have been associated with hybrid Read More

Deepwater Santos Basin: extending the pre-salt play outboard

Huge potential in undrilled Southern Santos Basin The prospectivity of the deepwater outboard Santos Basin is revealed by new 3D seismic. With a daily oil production in the region of Read More

From Outcrop Geology to Seismic… and Back!

Making new geoscientists better aware of seismic interpretation pitfalls through proper modeling of seismic images. When I started studying geophysics, the teacher introducing seismic arrived one day with colored pencils Read More

Transformative Technologies in Oil and Gas: Q&A with Bjarte Bruheim

Bjarte Bruheim has spent the majority of his career introducing transformative technologies that reduce risk and improve efficiencies in the oil and gas business. Transformative Technologies in Oil and Gas: Read More

Digital Solutions Across the Energy Value Chain

Cloud computing is changing the traditional oil and gas E&P business and transforming geoscience workflows. Arno van den Haak is Head World Wide Business Development, Oil & Gas for Read More

La Brea Pitch Lake: The Largest Tar Pit in the World

The largest tar pit in the world, La Brea Pitch Lake in Trinidad, has a fascinating history and awaits approval as a Unesco World Heritage Site – even if it Read More

The Value of Satellite Data in the Oil and Gas Sector

Are satellites creating a more level playing field in the oil and gas sector? © NASA-JPL/Caltech. In an age of so-called untruth, what can satellite imagery do to offset Read More

Evolving the Future Workforce in Oil and Gas

A virtual internship for students and early career professionals in the exploration of oil and gas resources, where everybody contributes and everybody learns. Allen Bertagne guiding the team from Perugia Read More

The Vaca Muerta Formation: How a Source Became a Reservoir

This black shale has been known and exploited as a source rock for over 100 years, but in a potentially game-changing event, the first exports from the Vaca Muerta itself Read More

Believe in Future Hydrocarbon Discoveries on the Faroese Continental Shelf

The Faroe Islands are inviting oil companies to explore for hydrocarbons on the Faroese Continental Shelf. Fifth Licensing Round Area on the Faroese Continental Shelf. © Jarðfeingi. With the opening Read More

Superfast 3D Seismic Geometry Analysis

A utility that can rapidly report key parameters about a 3D post-stack seismic dataset has been launched by Troika International. Troika International recently launched a utility that can, within seconds, Read More

Promising Oil and Gas Opportunities in the Caribbean

The Caribbean currently offers an unprecedented number of hydrocarbon exploration opportunities, with promising potential in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Honduras, Nicaragua and The Bahamas. The Caribbean currently offers an Read More

The Future of Oil and Gas Exploration Using CSEM

Can a CSEM-supported exploration program increase the chance of success for a prospect portfolio by distinguishing between low and high saturation commercial hydrocarbons? When defining an exploration strategy, the following Read More

The Pre-Salt Hydrocarbon Reservoirs of the South Atlantic

There are wide lessons to be learned from the controversy over the origins of the enigmatic Cretaceous lacustrine carbonate reservoirs of offshore Brazil. Figure 1: Location of Santos and Campos Read More

A Closer Look at the Hydrocarbon Plays of the South Atlantic

The timing of continental extension relative to salt deposition and the impact of pre-salt faulting is critical to reservoir formation and exploration success in the South Atlantic. Major advances in Read More

CSEM Anomalies Indicate Hydrocarbon Potential in the North Sea

Vertical CSEM technology identifies new potential for undiscovered volumes around the Gjøa field in the North Sea. CSEM receiver with active verticality correction. © PetroMarker. The alignment of the Read More

Changing the Public Perception of the Oil Industry

The oil industry is the target of sustained negative pressure, essentially calling for production to cease immediately. What should it do? The argument against the industry is simple, emotive, and Read More

Virtual Drilling for Liquid Hydrocarbons

A novel seismic DHI technology using resonance and dispersion to indicate for liquid hydrocarbons is making inroads in the E&P industry, successfully identifying oil and predicting dry wells. Could this Read More

First Oil and Gas Licensing Round in Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has just announced its first licensing round, which concludes in December 2019, offering plenty of potential in fourteen blocks. The Dominican Republic has just announced its first Read More

The Zambezi Delta Basin

Another piece in the complex Zambezi Delta puzzle Addressing missing gaps with high-resolution gravity, magnetics and seismic data to aid in better understanding the geology of the Zambezi Delta Basin Read More

Oil and Gas Challenges and Opportunities in Africa

Africa’s total proven reserves stand at 125.3 Bbo and 509 Tcf natural gas, 7.5% and 7.1% respectively of the global total. What are the main challenges and opportunities for future Read More

Oil Majors Chase Pre-Salt Hydrocarbon Riches in Brazil

Over the next few years the exploration drive in the pre-salt hydrocarbon plays of Brazil is going to shift away from national oil company Petrobras towards the global oil majors. Read More

Making the Impossible Possible in Oil and Gas Exploration

Wherever the petroleum industry finds a challenge, great technological minds come up with a solution to improve the exploration, production and development of oil and gas resources. In 2,450m of Read More

Oil and Gas Exploration in Latin America: From Shallow Shelf to Deepwater

A brief overview of the history and future of oil and gas exploration in Latin America. Explorers first stepped out from prolific onshore basins into shallow water just after World Read More

The global energy sector from a subsurface perspective