AAPG Heading Down Under
Perth Promises Big Times
Australia offers a visual and
scientific
feast for geologists, such as these
famous Miocene limestones known as
the Twelve Apostles, near Melbourne.
AAPG in November returns to Australia for the first time since 1992 for its annual International Conference and Exhibition, an event that promises to be one of the largest in Association history. “Reunite Gondwana – Realize the Potential” is the theme for the meeting, which will be held Nov. 5-8 at the new Perth Convention Exhibition Centre.
Organizers have assembled a technical program that includes 720 oral and poster presentations – among the most ever offered at an international meeting; seven field trips; and eight short courses.
Registration for Perth to date is running about 30 percent above the pace set for the 1998 meeting in Rio de Janeiro, which ended up drawing 2,214, making it AAPG’s largest-ever international event.
One reason for the large number of posters, meeting organizer’s believe, is the new approach for Perth that ties oral and poster sessions together – in effect, oral sessions are used to “preview” the more detailed complementary poster sessions.
Perth, located at the heart of the Australian oil and gas industry and near to some of the world’s oldest rock (dating to four billion years old), promises to provide a perfect setting, according to meeting chair Agu Kantsler, exploration director and chairman of Woodside Petroleum, Perth.
Petroleum exploration in Australia dates to 1892, Kantsler said, but the first commercial discovery was made in 1961, when the Moonie oilfield was discovered in Lower Jurassic sandstones of Queensland’s Surat Basin.
Since then about seven billion barrels of oil-natural gas liquids and 170 Tcf of gas have been discovered, he added – much of the gas being located on Western Australia’s North West Shelf, which also is a major oil province.
“Australia is no different to any other nation in wishing to maximize the utilization of its hydrocarbon resources,” Kantsler said, “and our industry is looking to its geologists to apply new technology, seek out new frontiers and structure new deals such that the goal of providing reliable and secure energy, both domestically and abroad, can be achieved.”
Other meeting highlights will include:
- An opening session hosted by general chair Kanstler and featuring officials from AAPG, PESA and Western Australia. An icebreaker reception follows.
- A “featured speaker luncheon,” offering this year’s AAPG Distinguished Lecture on “The ‘I’ in BusIness EthIcs.”
- A students reception, offering the chance for students to meet with representatives of companies that are AAPG student sponsors.
- The Melbourne Cup Luncheon, when all of Australia comes to a halt for the annual Melbourne Cup horse race, which will be held Nov. 7. AAPG will join in the celebration with a complementary lunch in the exhibition hall.
For more information or to register, go to the AAPG Web site at http://www.aapg .org/perth/index.cfm.
