Table of Contents

 

The 2006 All-Member Survey results showed a “remarkably” high level of member satisfaction across-the-board, tracking similar responses in the 2003 statistical study.

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The 2006 AAPG International Meeting at the remote venue of Perth, Australia, proved as prolific as the petroleum geology of the region with a record-setting 2,650 registrants, the largest attendance ever for an AAPG international gathering.

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It’s the newest idea in exploration today.

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In and around the Gulf of Mexico one can expect to find an unruly mix of jazz, heartache, gumbo, prolific petroleum reserves and, if a new study is to be believed, volcanic ash.

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Improved drilling technology and higher commodity prices have resulted in a burst of gas drilling activity on the Western Slope of Colorado.

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Chevron Corporation has graciously agreed to provide corporate sponsorship for Student Member dues, effective immediately.

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Emphasis: Downhole Geology

 

The next few years will begin a dramatic increase in coiled-tubing drilling (CTD), slimhole drilling and microbore applications. That could bring a handsome payoff to anyone who solves the downhole geology puzzle.

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Installation of a permanently placed seismic cable system to acquire time lapse, or 4-D, seismic at the BP-operated Valhall Field in Norway in August 2003 created a goodly bit of buzz -- particularly in the geophysical community. An experimental array had been installed in 1995 by Shell and BP at Foinhaven, but Valhall was the first such system to be financed and purchased by a business unit.

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Widely available and ever-popular seismic technologies are great for detecting subsurface structures and identifying potential reservoirs.

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No one would question there’s an ongoing high level of activity in Saudi Arabia’s oil patch.

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Vertical seismic profile (VSP) has been around for some time as a tool to provide time-to-depth for seismic well-ties.

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Standing Columns

The upstream energy business, particularly exploration and production, is a creative, intellectual and knowledge-based enterprise -- and every energy industry professional knows that to compete, you need area-specific information on prior drilling and production activities, including:

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I have just completed the fall convention circuit to Lafayette, La. (Gulf Coast Section), Buffalo, N.Y. (Eastern Section), and Perth, Australia (international).

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One of my favorite activities is to visit my kid’s school and talk about earth science. I often wear my geology garb and talk about rocks and dinosaurs.

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Every so often it is good to review and evaluate DEG’s mission and goals. This year AAPG is preparing a five-year tactical business plan, and as an AAPG Division, DEG also is preparing one.

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Intriguing seismic examples are being developed in multi-component seismic research at the Bureau of Economic Geology, specifically examples documenting which one of the S-wave seismic modes images a key geologic feature better than does the P-wave mode -- the only seismic mode many explorationists have ever used.

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As you read this column, the results of the mid-term elections will be relegated to the annals of history -- at least we can hope that is the case and we are not mired in issues of “hanging chads” or other election process quarrels.

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