Vol. 9

Issue 2

This edition of GEO ExPro Magazine focuses on North America and Unconventional Resources and Technologies

Columns

5 Editorial

6 Market Update

8 Update

16 A Minute to Read

26 Recent Advances in Technology: Marine Seismic Sources XIII

54 GEO Tourism: The Colorado Plateau

80 History of Oil: The Many Lives of Belridge

88 ExPro Profile: Ralph Baird

92 GEO Cities: Salt Lake City

94 Exploration Update

100 Q&A: A Good Career Choice

102 Global Resource Management

Features

20 Cover Story: Unconventional No Longer?

32 Technology: Microseismic Imaging

36 Seismic Foldout: The Nigerian Transform Margin

42 Reservoir Management: Bringing the Lab to the Field

46 Exploration: Is Shale Gas Bringing Independence?

60 Country Profile: Morocco – High Expectations

68 Unconventional Resources: Going Deep for the Heat

70 Industry Issues: Defining Reserves and Resources

74 Seismic foldout: Offshore Florida

Articles

Committed to the Industry

Drawn to challenge, committed to an industry – that’s Ralph W. Baird, 2011 recipient of the Colonel Edwin L. Drake Legendary Oilman Award from the Petroleum History Institute. Ralph W. Read More

More Oil and Gas to be Found

There is no doubt: oil and gas will remain the preferred energy source for years to come, according to Exxon Mobil’s comprehensive review of energy demands in the next 30 Read More

A Good Career Choice

Dr. Lucy Ramsey is one of the new generation of geoscientists in the oil and gas industry. We ask her about her impressions of the industry so far. What attracted Read More

Going Deep for the Heat

Geothermal energy is becoming an increasingly hot topic. Recent research suggests that even areas outside ‘high-temperature fields’ may be sufficiently warm to generate electricity. Beneath our feet there are rich Read More

High Expectations Morocco

With landscape varying from the wonderful, snowy High Atlas mountains to the sand dunes of the Sahara, vibrant Morocco is one of Africa’s largest energy consumers, yet it remains remarkably Read More

Three World-Class Discoveries

For the first time in 15 years, a giant discovery was made offshore Norway last year. Three world-class discoveries made 2011 an exceptional year for the oil industry in Norway. Read More

Is Shale Gas Bringing Independence?

Shale gas has helped the US to become the world’s largest gas producer. Will shale gas and shale oil production lead America to energy independence? The headline from the Forbes-INSIGHTS Read More

Goodbye to the Gas Guzzler!

The price of petrol at the pump in the US is – in fact, in some places has already exceeded – the psychologically important $4/gallon (EIA). Petrol prices have risen Read More

Florida – The Next US Frontier:

Revisiting an Old Exploration Region of the Gulf of Mexico with Modern 3D Data… Fugro Multi Client Services (FMCS) Inc has just completed the first phase of its campaign offshore Read More

Unconventional Thinking

“Targeting unconventional resources requires unconventional thinking.” “Targeting unconventional resources requires unconventional thinking.” So stated the Exploration Vice President of Saudi Aramco, Abdulla Naim, at the recent GEO 2012 conference. And Read More

Africa: Continent of Discoveries

Africa conference will examine exciting new plays and developments. Africa continues to deliver exciting new oil and gas discoveries in emerging plays. There is great excitement offshore East Africa, from Read More

The Search for Oil in Oman

A discovery at Yibal in April 1962 marked the end of a long and frustrating search for commerical oil in the Sultanate of Oman. The country is now 24th in Read More

Defining Reserves & Resources

Effective resource management in a globalizing economy requires accurate assessments of fossil energy and minerals resources. How can we ensure that countries, companies and organizations are all assessing and estimating Read More

Tight Oil Plays

Horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing technologies that have enabled companies to unlock large amounts of gas from shaley source rocks are now targeting similar rocks for oil and gas liquids. Read More

Malaysia: Two Gas Discoveries

At the tail end of 2011 Petronas, the state oil company of Malaysia, announced the success of an offshore well in moderately deep waters in Block SK316, about 100 km Read More

Bringing the Lab to the Field

Bringing advanced laboratory analysis to the field: Weatherford International’s new formation evaluation service brings advanced, laboratory-based testing techniques to the field, enabling faster, more informed reservoir management decisions for unconventional Read More

The Many Lives of Belridge

Nearly declared dead by its owners only eight years after discovery, new technologies introduced over the past century allowed Southern California’s Belridge Field to grow into a prolific oil producer. Read More

Vibrant International Petroleum Week

Celebrating historical roots back to 1913 More than 2,000 oil and gas professionals from around the world gathered in London late February for the International Petroleum (IP) Week to listen Read More

Unconventional No Longer

What exactly are unconventional resources – and is it time we stopped using the term? The fundamental idea in this article is that oil and gas technology has progressed to Read More