Issue 6

This issue of GEO ExPro focuses on The Gulf of Mexico; Russia and the FSU; Non-Seismic Geophysics and Carbon Capture, Storage and Usage

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Columns

5 Editorial

6 Regional Update: Caspian Sea

8 Licensing Update: Gulf of Mexico: The Wind of Change

10 A Minute to Read

12 Industry Issues: The Bear in the Room

26 Energy Transition Update: A Carbon-Free Russia: Barriers and Opportunities

36 Hot Spot: Timor-Leste: Exploration Renaissance

38 Geology: Delivering a Geological Service for Europe

55 Palaeontology

70 Recent Advances In Technology: From Arrhenius to CO₂ Storage – Part XIII

78 Exploration Update

79 GEO Media: Ammonite: A Missed Opportunity

82 Industry Issues: The Need for Joined-up Thinking to Optimise Use of the North Sea to Achieve Net Zero Targets

84 FlowBack: Good COP, Cleaner Fossil?

Features

15 Energy Transition: A Sleeping Giant

20 Seismic Foldout: Offshore Colombia: Discovering New Value in Legacy Data Using Modern Workflows

30 GEO Education: Big Questions and Challenges in Geoscience

42 Seismic Foldout: A Story of Oil Exploration in the Rainforests of Peru

48 Exploration: Natural Gas: Underexplored in Bangladesh?

52 History of Oil: Mexico: Onshore to Offshore

59 Cover Story: Vintage Maps Reborn

64 Farm-out Foldout: NE Mongolia (Tamtsag Basin) Block XX Exploitation Licence

74 GEO Physics: Gradiometry – The New Standard

Articles

Delivering a Geological Service for Europe

It is a misconception that abandoning fossil fuels reduces the importance of the subsurface – whilst the use of it will materially change, it continues to play a crucial role Read More

The Incredible World of Fossils

I fell in love with fossils like many others, as a child, hunting on the world-famous Jurassic Coast in Dorset in the UK, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and location Read More

GEO ExPro Launches Energy Transition Homepage

As the energy transition continues to evolve and expand, we are delighted to announce the launch of our Energy Transition Homepage where we will present articles and insight into this Read More

Gradiometry – The new standard

The use of Airborne Gravity Gradiometry (AGG) for oil and gas exploration has expanded significantly since the year 2000, particularly in frontier areas. In some geological environments the use of Read More

NE Mongolia (Tamtsag Basin) Block XX exploitation licence

Upstream projects for the global transition A Mongolian opportunity with local markets, appraisal/development and exploration upside, and generating fewer emissions than coal. Whether the world likes it or not, Read More

Ammonite: A Missed Opportunity

Mary Anning’s story is fascinating in its own right – so why make it up? © Lionsgate Films.The film ‘Ammonite’, described as ‘loosely inspired by the life of British palaeontologist Read More

A Sleeping Giant

The Texas Gulf Coast is primed to become a top producer of clean hydrogen. As the United States pours funding into the development of clean, reliable energy, the competition among Read More

The Need for Joined-up Thinking to Optimise Use Of the North Sea to Achieve Net Zero Targets

John Underhill, Professor of Geoscience & Energy Transition at Heriot-Watt University, highlights the importance of an integrated approach to energy transition. The UK has been highly effective in decarbonising the Read More

Mexico: Onshore to Offshore

From the 16th-century Spanish conquistadors to modern times, Mexico has been bound to oil. Although no longer in the top ten of the world’s leading producers, shale gas may change Read More

More Data, More Detail, Higher Frequency

C&C Reservoirs have announced that they will be improving their content structure in 2022 to meet the needs of the energy transition in the upstream subsurface oil and gas industry. Read More

The Bear in The Room

Russia and European Natural Gas – Threat or Opportunity? A perfect energy storm has been brewing during 2021. A cold winter around the world in 2020 saw gas demand rising, Read More

From agua caliente (‘hot water’) to aceite caliente! (‘hot oil!’)

Please note: due to online file size limits we have had to scale down the resolution of this foldout. You can find the higher resolution version on pp42-46 of GEO ExPro Read More

Timor-Leste: Exploration Renaissance

Insight into the current hydrocarbon exploration potential and activity in Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste: Exploration Renaissance The island of Timor-Leste between Indonesia and Australia is the subject of some intense scrutiny these Read More

Egyptian Vulture: Longboat Energy Circling Success in the Norwegian Sector

Longboat Energy, the emerging full-cycle North Sea E&P company has announced a material discovery at the Egyptian Vulture exploration well in PL 939, encountering light oil in the primary target Read More

GEO ExPro Vol. 18, Issue No. 6 Out Now!

Geoscience magazine GEO ExPro Vol. 18, No. 6 is now available for download. This issue of GEO ExPro focuses on The Gulf of Mexico; Russia and the FSU; Non-Seismic Geophysics Read More

Big Questions and Challenges in Geoscience

What are the big questions that geoscientists can study and contribute to science, technology, economy and policy? During 2019–2020 I undertook a survey of the most important questions in geoscience Read More

Regional Update: The Caspian Sea

A regional update on the resource and political situation in the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is shared between Iran, and the four former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia Read More

A Carbon-Free Russia: Barriers and Opportunities

Russia has ample oil and gas reserves to both supply energy to all its people and earn huge revenues from exporting fossil fuels, so what incentives are there for it Read More

Robots on the Seabed Advance

In October, Blue Ocean Seismic Services, a UK-based pioneer of autonomous robotic seismic nodes, successfully completed a series of acquisition trials in the North Sea. Blue Ocean Seismic Services’ autonomous Read More

Aspects of Transition

In this short editorial, GEO ExPro Editor in Chief Iain Brown talks briefly on the different aspects of the energy transition, COP 26, palaeontology and introduces the latest edition of Read More

Gulf of Mexico: The Wind of Change

The Biden–Harris administration is continuing its comprehensive review of the offshore and onshore oil and gas leasing programmes in the Gulf of Mexico, with more environmental, social and governance (ESG) Read More

Volcanoes to Venture Capitalists

Mark Davies explains how volcanology led to new technology fit for exploration and hazard mitigation. November 14th, 1985 was a seminal day for a young Mark Davies. News of a Read More

Vintage Maps Reborn

Using 3D animation software and surface models for new hillshade mapping techniques to produce hyper-realistic 3D-like maps. A new trend of map-making has recently evolved and changed the way we Read More

Natural Gas – Underexplored in Bangladesh?

Increasing demand, decreasing supply, untested high-potential plays, and much-needed exploration. Natural gas (NG) is the principal fuel for electrical generation in Bangladesh and the foundation for the nation’s rapid economic Read More

Offshore Colombia: discovering new value in legacy data using modern workflows

Newly integrated 2D data highlights the prospectivity of offshore Colombia Colombia’s offshore potential has been highlighted by recent discoveries in the deepwater sector. Petrobras’s Orca gas discovery was the Read More

Ondjaba-1: Total Energies Explore New Depths

Total Energies, with operating partners Qatar Energies and Sonangol, have drilled the Ondjaba-1 wildcat offshore Block 48, Angola. Map showing location of the Ondjaba-1 well, offshore Angola.Total Energies have drilled the Ondjaba-1 wildcat Read More

The global energy sector from a subsurface perspective