ARTICLES
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2001

February
Santos Finds Took Some Time

It is the nature of professional literature to provide the facts and rationale. However, seldom does professional literature provide any description of the critical decisions and personalities involved in major field discoveries.

As evidenced in the special EXPLORER: A Century produced last December, the anecdotes behind the science and the stories of the people involved in exploration can be captivating. Sometimes, the "story behind the story" is better than the story itself.

In an effort to capture this flavor of exploration science and business, Marlan Downey has been asked to describe his memories of some of the interesting fields found by teams he has been associated with during more than 40 years of exploration and production.

During those years, he participated in exploration in most of the producing provinces of the United States and explored in 61 countries outside the United States, with 19 of those yielding field development activities.

This article launches a series of "stories behind the story" recollections of past endeavors.

Downey also offers a caveat for these articles:

"These fields were found by team efforts, that I am only to mention a few of the many important participants, and that my personal contribution was typically minor.

"This description is merely the way I remember the discovery events -- not perfect truth," he added. "I want to share the lessons I thought I learned from these discoveries.

"But remember ... I am the storyteller, not the hero."

Editor's note: Do you have an anecdote or recollection you would like to share? If so, please contact Larry Nation at lnation@aapg.org Fax: 1-918-560-2636

2000