The First Oil Shock
At a time when oil prices spiralled down from over $100 to below $50 within half a year, talking about ‘oil shock’ may seem odd. Yet, the oil shock of…
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The Secret World of Oil
Ken Silverstein Verso Books Dodgy practice in the oil industry may appear to be a ‘yawn, yawn’ subject – don’t we all know that companies lobby and pay into campaign funds? And…
Oil Price Competition 2 – Result
Result of the second Oil Price Prediction Competition. Oil Price at COB 19th June, as shown on the FT website on 22nd June.Once again, many thanks to everyone that entered…
Hubbert’s Peak: Not yet reached
In 1956, Shell geophysicist M. King Hubbert predicted that US oil production would reach its highest level in the 1970s. Hubbert’s prediction came true in 1971. The geoscientist got his…
Gas Hydrates – Part VIII
Hydrates in Outer Space (1) Today found widespread on Earth wherever stability conditions are met and an ample supply of natural gas is present, methane hydrate was originally thought to…
Iran. The Implications of Peace
An agreement on Iran’s nuclear industry should be signed by the end of June. What are the implications for the oil price, OPEC and the industry? It seems that the…
Time to Invest or to Panic?
As everyone knows, the oil price has plummeted in recent months. Spiraling ever downwards alongside it has been the value of E&P stocks and shares – but is this correlation…
Novel digital platforms: OneGeology and OpenGeosci
OneGeology In March 2007, over 80 scientists from 43 countries gathered in Brighton, UK, to discuss the proposition of creating an online geological map of the world for the benefit of students, teachers,…
Check Your Knowledge
By 2040, the world’s population will increase by about two billion. How much energy will we need to power this growth? Did you know that China is the world’s leading…
Not for the Faint-Hearted
The Frackers (2013) Author: Gregory Zuckerman Portfolio/Penguin This is the book of our time, the story of the US shale energy revolution, told through the lives of the ‘part gamblers, part salesmen, part geologists’ who were…
All Bad News?
Winners and losers as the oil price slump continues. Is the precipitous drop in oil prices we have seen in recent months all bad news? Certainly not for consumers, who…
Breaking the “Stack Barrier”
Seismic interpretation software can reveal the true value of pre-stack gathers. In a recent Oilvoice article, well known industry figure David Bamford suggested a better term to describe what seismic interpreters do…