Explorer President’s Column

Providing energy to the world is a heroic journey. In my preface to the 2017 DPA publication “Heritage of the Petroleum Geoscientist,” I wrote that the philosopher Joseph Campbell described that the world has a few stories, and many storytellers. The “Hero’s Journey” starts with a call to adventure, overcoming trials (think of the Greek character Odysseus), and returning to tell the story.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

With the U.S. Department of the Interior calling for updated assessments of the oil and gas resources on Alaska’s North Slope, most surprisingly the tightly regulated 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, geologists are preparing for the possibility of exploring a frontier believed to be rich in hydrocarbon resources.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

After decades of being out of sight, out of mind, Panama is seeing its first modern-day collection of seismic data.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

Conventional geophysics has hit a few speed bumps, but ongoing research into seismic anisotropy offers new keys to imaging unconventional resources.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

With ICE in one of the most iconic European capitals, the organization committee wanted to shape an ambitious field trip program that would look beyond the British Isles. Against all odds dictated by the unfavorable state of the industry, three field trips accompanied from start to end the success of ICE in London.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Division Column EMD

When considering the future of our industry, innovation and new technologies are always discussed. It might be splitting hairs but I believe that having a “view” toward the future could be more important.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

Geology is the correct starting point for any geophysical discussion in AAPG. This two-part article starts with the rock, progresses to the wave and concludes with our increased understanding of the rock. If you, dear reader, can stay for both parts, you will gain a basic understanding of how anisotropy in P-P seismic reflection data can add to our understanding of the rocks, specifically the reservoir, at depth.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Learn! Blog

Understanding fractures and fracture networks has become one of the most important elements in designing completions and stimulations in shales, as well as in the case of carbonates and clastics. Welcome to an interview with two renowned experts in fractures, John Lorenz and Scott Cooper, who have just published a groundbreaking Atlas of Natural and Induced Fractures in Core with AAPG. They will also run their popular short course at URTeC this year.

Show more
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Canada Blog

Submit your abstract now on one of the six presentation topics to be part of this exciting conference in August 2018. The conference will feature pre- and post-meeting excursions, courses and workshops.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Division Column DPA

The Division members need to advance our knowledge about communications and data management in this new exploration world. New oil is found by new ideas and technologies and we need to know how best to serve our members.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
DL Abstract

Around 170 million years ago, the Gulf of Mexico basin flooded catastrophically, and the pre-existing landscape, which had been a very rugged, arid, semi-desert world, was drowned beneath an inland sea of salt water. The drowned landscape was then buried under kilometers of salt, perfectly preserving the older topography. Now, with high-quality 3D seismic data, the salt appears as a transparent layer, and the details of the drowned world can be seen in exquisite detail, providing a unique snapshot of the world on the eve of the flooding event. We can map out hills and valleys, and a system of river gullies and a large, meandering river system. These rivers in turn fed into a deep central lake, whose surface was about 750m below global sea level. This new knowledge also reveals how the Louann Salt was deposited. In contrast to published models, the salt was deposited in a deep water, hypersaline sea. We can estimate the rate of deposition, and it was very fast; we believe that the entire thickness of several kilometers of salt was laid down in a few tens of thousands of years, making it possibly the fastest sustained deposition seen so far in the geological record.

Show more

Request a visit from Frank Peel!

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
DL Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) seismic-reflection surveys provide one of the most important data types for understanding subsurface depositional systems. Quantitative analysis is commonly restricted to geophysical interpretation of elastic properties of rocks in the subsurface. Wide availability of 3D seismic-reflection data and integration provide opportunities for quantitative analysis of subsurface stratigraphic sequences. Here, we integrate traditional seismic-stratigraphic interpretation with quantitative geomorphologic analysis and numerical modeling to explore new insights into submarine-channel evolution.

Show more

Request a visit from Jacob Covault!

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
VG Abstract

In comparison with the known boundary conditions that promote salt deformation and flow in sedimentary basins, the processes involved with the mobilization of clay-rich detrital sediments are far less well established. This talk will use seismic examples in different tectonic settings to document the variety of shale geometries that can be formed under brittle and ductile deformations.

Request a visit from Juan I. Soto!

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Related Interests

See Also ...