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Explorer Article By David Brown

Sanctions on Iranian Oil are 'Untenable'

Geopolitical tensions thrust Iran into an international spotlight in January, in a series of events that briefly unnerved oil markets. The aftermath could have serious, longer-term effects on the oil and gas industry, although those repercussions are difficult to predict. There is one certainty, though, according to one analyst: Iran’s situation under continued U.S.-enforced sanctions is untenable.

Added on 01 February, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Barry Friedman

The Myopia of a Carbon-Only Lens

Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin, will grant no quarter about either the history and benefits of energy in our lives or its potential to improve our future. “Access to affordable, reliable energy is the foundation of modern economies,” he said. This subject has been on his mind of late, for he has spent the last two years studying those who are, as he puts it, suffering from “energy poverty.” Some 2.5 billion people worldwide live in some form of energy poverty today. “Access to secure energy,” Tinker said, “impacts all other major humanitarian issues, including hunger, shelter, clean water, education, healthcare, human migration, empowerment of women, and more. Those who do not have energy access suffer from energy poverty.”

Added on 01 February, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Heather Saucier

Oil Majors Plan for Low-carbon Future

Take a look at many of the major energy companies’ websites and you’re likely to see a “New Energies”-section with an outlined commitment for ultimately achieving “net zero” carbon emissions. Shell, for example, has increased the number of employees in its New Energies sector from 60 to 800 in the past two years. However, when looking at the world’s energy leaders, none have agreed on a clear path forward.

Added on 01 February, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By David Brown

Analyst: Uncertainty Is the Oil Industry's Greatest Challenge

The oil and gas industry faces some significant near-term business challenges, which implies a difficult path forward for geoscientists and other professionals in the industry. Uncertainty might be the biggest challenge, which makes today’s situation especially tricky.

Added on 01 February, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Heather Saucier

Owning the Narrative

Talk of mitigating carbon footprints is growing louder. Regardless of differing views on the carbon issue, many in the oil and gas industry and beyond are beginning to make changes not only to be better stewards of the environment, but to protect business from growing public and investor sentiments against fossil fuels. Public opinion is now infiltrating investor sentiments and the industry needs to adopt significant changes that will keep the public and investors on board.

Added on 01 February, 2020

Explorer Division Column DPA By John Jordan

What Does It Mean To Be An Active Member?

Earlier this year Mary Barrett, past president of the Division of Environmental Geology, wrote an article about “belonging.” I would like to expand on that theme and raise the bar to “What does it mean to be an Active Member?”

Added on 01 January, 2020

Explorer Director’s Corner By David Curtiss

It's Already 2020. Buckle Up.

The end of the year is popularly depicted as a grizzled old man, stooped under the care and worry of the year gone by, ready to relinquish his responsibilities and pass the baton to the rosy-cheeked, diapered baby crawling expectantly into a new year. I’m not sure if this depiction is true this year, because I’m not sure where 2019 went – it feels like we barely got out of adolescence. And now, here we are, beginning anew. Happy New Year!

Added on 01 January, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Ken Milam

Pushing New Frontiers With Proven Basins

In the arena of super basins, what’s old is new again. With new technology, oil finders are finding great success by returning to basins once thought to be mature. While exploration continues along new frontiers, the industry has returned to the world’s richest petroleum-bearing basins with an all-out effort to optimize extensive infrastructure using new technology.

Added on 01 January, 2020

Explorer Historical Highlights By Michael S. Johnson

An Oil Trap Unlike Any Other

I was involved in the 2006 discovery of Parshall Oil Field in the Bakken reservoir of North Dakota, one of the largest oil fields in North America. My prospect idea was based on meager geologic data that included two key wells and used the potential of new horizontal drilling technology.

Added on 01 January, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Heather Saucier

Basin and Super Basin

As basins such as the Permian have crushed the concept of “peak oil” by doubling past production rates using new ideas and technology, their newly dubbed “super basin” status is inspiring operators on practically every continent to do the same.

Added on 01 January, 2020

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Explorer Geophysical Corner By Kenneth Bredesen,Kurt Marfurt,Ritesh Sharma,Satinder Chopra

Impact of Reprocessing Seismic Data

Advancements in processing and imaging techniques have continued over the last several decades, which have gradually improved the quality of the processed surface seismic data. When the quality of the existing seismic data is not adequate to perform an interpretation task reasonably, then the interpreter looks for other options. Is it feasible to acquire a new survey? In the absence of an improved survey, will reprocessing of seismic data be a good option?

Added on 01 December, 2023

Explorer Director’s Corner By David Curtiss

Introducing the New EXPLORER, New Digital Newsletters

Perhaps you did a double take pulling the April issue of EXPLORER from the mailbox. What is this? If you joined AAPG in the last 40 years, you’ve only known EXPLORER in its long-standing tabloid format. It worked well for many years as our advertisers – particularly seismic companies – loved the large format and the ability to display their data on a sweeping canvas. For readers, it was a little more awkward.

Added on 01 April, 2024

Explorer Historical Highlights By Jorge Navarro Comet

Casablanca: Spain's Biggest Oil Field

The Casablanca oil field, discovered in 1975 and located on the Mediterranean shelf edge, has been greatly significant in the world’s offshore oil industry activity, besides being by far the biggest oil field in Spain.

Added on 01 March, 2019

Explorer Article By J.K. Dietrich

Natural Increase of Oil Column Buoyancy and the Instability of Caprock Seals

A new type of buoyancy model can be used to understand the source of residual oil zones, both thick and thin, to help determine the likelihood that economically viable recoverable oil resides in transition zones of imbibition reservoirs. Application of a buoyancy and breech model will fill a void in reservoir characterization. It will help distinguish between TZs and ROZs, the first of which allows application of primary and secondary (waterflooding) oil recovery methods and the second of which requires more difficult CO2-enhanced oil recovery projects.

Added on 08 May, 2024

Explorer Article By Barry Friedman

US Energy Forecast: Even Cloudier Than Usual

It isn’t news to anyone that prediction is difficult, especially when it’s the future (as a great man once said). Uncertainty and unpredictability are just a part of the job of tracking and predicting the future supply and demand of energy. That being the case, when energy analysts say that the current level of uncertainty is particularly high, it might be easy to dismiss it as a “dog bites man” story. It isn’t.

Added on 04 June, 2024

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