The E&P industry of the future
An industry in transition or transformation? The upstream E&P sector has faced challenges over the last decade, including a downturn, the energy transition, and COVID-19. The industry is resilient but…
Worldwide
Maybe the energy sector does not need so many new geoscientists after all?
There was an outcry when the Free University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, recently announced its intention to close its geoscience department. Many well-respected geoscientists posted on LinkedIn how bad this…
Estimates of trapped hydrogen globally – a reality check
Over the last few years, there has been a continuous stream of news coverage on “ground-breaking natural-hydrogen discoveries.” A paper by Ellis and Gelman, published late last year, very much…
Why the term “fault block” is a useless way to describe a trap
In most prospective basins, the simpler and larger anticlines and high-side fault blocks have mostly been drilled. In order to find what is remaining, explorers can look for new trap…
Fresh water in deep-marine sandstones – how come?
“A famous example of anchoring is finding a high resistivity anomaly on a structure in a deep-water turbidite play and assuming it can only be petroleum related,” wrote exploration geologist…
Evaluating the uncertainty in a Saturation Height model
Even the ‘ground truth’ of core data is uncertain when you really think about it. There is nothing better than a lump of rock to look at, touch, smell, or…
Deciphering Earth’s secrets
Faults on geological maps are far more than just lines; they are a critical form of communication, conveying essential information about the Earth’s subsurface structure and tectonic history. Central to…
And all the while, hydrocarbons are transitioning away from us
”It’s the hope that keeps us here,” wrote Neil Hodgson and the Searcher team this week. He alluded to those promising ultra-deepwater fields that are about to be discovered. Hope…
Subsurface noise, Issue 2, 2025
THE EARLY DAYS OF SUBSURFACE MODELS I recently spoke to a geologist who was heavily involved with the introduction of the first generations of reservoir modelling software. He told me…
Taking a seat on the 4-legged stool of honest energy policy
It’s time to start being honest to ourselves regarding the suitability of an ambitious, high-profile goal such as “net zero”. The unpopular truth is that it has long been evident…
Can we stop exploring?
“Why would we still explore for oil and gas?” asked René Jonk from ACT GEO at the end of his talk for the Geoscience Energy Society of Great Britain this…
How data analysis and 1D models help understand messy vitrinite data
In my last column, I hinted at a case study, where I was able to interpret likely fluid migration based on temperature and vitrinite data in a single well. This…