Issue 1

This issue of GEO ExPro focuses on South America; Sustainability and the Environment; Seismic Interpretation; Increasing Efficiency in E&P.

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Columns

5 Editorial

6 Regional Update: South America and Caribbean

8 Licensing Update: South America – Licensing Slows

10 A Minute to Read

30 Energy Transition Update: Brazil: Losing its Way

32 Global Resource Management: Critical Minerals for Electric Vehicles

36 HotSpot: Global Wildcatting – Going with the Flow

38 GEO Education: Master’s Meltdown or New Dawn?

52 Recent Advances in Technology: From Arrhenius to CO₂ Storage – Part XIV

56 Technology Explained: AI – Its Use in Exploration and Production

60 Energy Transition: Palynology Reinvented

70 Exploration Update

72 GEO Media: Rock Doctor

73 Q&A: Sophie Zurquiyah – Repositioning CGG for the Transition

76 FlowBack: Oiling the Culture Wars

Features

15 Cover Story: GEO Tourism: Exploring the Heartland of the Incan Empire

20 Seismic Foldout: Offshore Oman: Stunning Hydrocarbon Geology from a Closing Ocean

26 Palaeontology: “Land Plants Didn’t Evolve Until the Silurian!”

42 Seismic Foldout: Unifying Offshore Brazil: From the Abimael Propagator to the Abrolhos Islands

48 GEO Physics: A Clearer Vision with Seismic Inversion

64 Energy Opportunity Foldout: Offshore Jamaica

Articles

Palynology reinvented

An old technique re-imagined and reducing uncertainty in CCS sites. Palynology Reinvented Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial and power sources and storing it in subsurface geological formations is an Read More

“Land Plants Didn’t Evolve Until the Silurian”

If you were to ask my wife when plants first evolved, she would answer without hesitation (in a mock pompous voice) “land plants didn’t evolve until the Silurian”! She is Read More

Oiling the Culture Wars

Did you know that there are 5,200 oil and gas wells strung out below the busy streets of Los Angeles? Forget for a moment the glitzy Hollywood Hills or the Read More

Master’s Meltdown or New Dawn?

The future of Master’s training in energy geoscience in the UK. Is there a strategy to attract and train new geoscientists and engineers, or are we sleepwalking into a looming Read More

Kanchan-1: Exploration Returns to Bangladesh

Hydrocarbon exploration returns to Bangladesh after a hiatus of several years. Exploration has returned to Bangladesh after a hiatus of several years, with ONGC Videsh (OVL) partnering Bapex and Oil India on the SS-04 Block (formerly Block Read More

Recent advances in climate change research: Part XIV – The doom of a photon on a random walk

The history of an individual infrared photon being emitted upwards from Earth’s surface into a static atmosphere is analysed as a one-dimensional random walk. Will it return to Earth, or Read More

Critical Minerals for Electric Vehicles

We hear that electric vehicles (EVs) are necessary to meet net zero targets but how green are EVs really and, moreover, where will the raw materials for the batteries come Read More

Regional Update: South America and Caribbean

The region of South America and the Caribbean has had a mixed bag of results in oil and gas in the last 12 months or so. We have seen more Read More

Sophie Zurquiyah – Repositioning CGG for the Transition

After a successful international career with Schlumberger, Sophie joined CGG in 2013 and was appointed CEO in 2018. In this interview, Sophie talks about CGG’s path into the future. After Read More

Seismic Technology Used in Antarctica Ahead of Potential Extra-Terrestrial Deployment

Scientists have deployed a network of seismometers onto Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf in an experiment which will test the ability of the instruments to operate on icy moons of the Read More

Energy opportunity: offshore Jamaica

Bringing Exploration Opportunities in Jamaica Into Focus for an Energy Transition Future Demand for New Exploration Projects is Anticipated to Increase In the last 50 years, the upstream sector has Read More

Offshore Oman: stunning hydrocarbon geology from a closing ocean

Offshore Oman Unexplored and tantalisingly prospective. The Eastern Oman Mountains are widely known as an ophiolite range of rugged and dramatic beauty, where one of Oman’s two slices of obducted Read More

Lockyer Deep-1: Australian Firms Prove-Up Further Upside in the Perth Basin

Energy Resources and Norwest Energy have announced a gas discovery at Lockyer Deep-1 in the EP 368 Block in the Perth Basin. Energy Resources and Norwest Energy have announced a gas discovery at Lockyer Read More

South America – Riches and Strife

In this short editorial, GEO ExPro Editor in Chief Iain Brown talks briefly on the energy situation in South America and introduces the latest edition of the magazine (Vol. 19, Read More

Unifying offshore Brazil: from the Abigail propagator to the Abrolhos Islands

3D processing integrates regional seismic, offshore Brazil The new Picanha 3D dataset provides the ideal foundation for an exploration and production strategy across a world-class petroleum province. Brazil is the Read More

Rock Doctor: Adventures of a Field Geologist Before 9/11

Entertaining stories of the fun, freedom, excitement, boredom, exhilaration and at times sheer terror that came with being a field geologist in the days before satnavs, mobile phones and 24/7 Read More

Exploring the Heartland of the Incan Empire

From the iconic ruins of Machu Picchu to the ancient capital of Cuzco, the Inca’s intimate relationship with some of South America’s most spectacular geology is brilliantly displayed in modern-day Read More

What About The Data?

Are we losing sight of the importance of input data quality in cloud-based, time/resource-saving software solutions? In today’s world of big data and cloud-based solutions, increasing emphasis is placed on Read More

Brazil: Losing Its Way

Brazil has been a leader in the energy transition – but is now being left behind. In many ways, Brazil is well ahead in the energy transition game. Its energy Read More

Karau-1:Onshore Success Revives Hydrocarbon Activity in Timor-Leste

Good news from onshore Timor-Leste: Karau-1, which spudded late October 2021 in Block TL-OT-17-08, was reported in mid-December 2021 as discovering oil and gas. Good news from onshore Timor-Leste, where Read More

Energy Security in North West Europe

In this short editorial, GEO ExPro Editor in Chief Iain Brown talks briefly on energy security in North West Europe and introduces the latest edition of the magazine (Vol. 19, Read More

What Does 2022 Have in Store for the Oil and Gas Sector?

What should we all be considering in our planning for 2022 and what might the major developments impacting E&P be? What should we all be considering in our planning for Read More

South America – Licensing Slows

South America and the Caribbean is currently seeing less licensing activity, at least partially because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on frontier exploration, which has prompted international oil Read More

Global Wildcatting – Going with the Flow

The extended impact of uncertain oil prices, combined with the Covid-19 pandemic and dwindling investor sentiment for hydrocarbons, have resulted in further delays, and in some cases cancellations, of already Read More

Graff-1: On the Cusp of Hydrocarbon Success in Namibia

Shell has made a ‘significant oil and gas discovery’ at the Graff-1 well offshore Namibia. Shell has made a ‘significant oil and gas discovery’ at the Graff-1 well offshore Namibia. It is unclear Read More

A clearer vision with seismic inversion

It takes a lot of people to drill a well and many different disciplines working together, like the moving parts of a complex machine. It has been said that oil Read More

The global energy sector from a subsurface perspective