Explorer Emphasis Article

The demands of the E&P marketplace are growing -- and with the upstream spread thin, some needs and challenges are being exposed. Much of the excitement in the geophysical industry today stems from the need for, and development of, new technologies and approaches to meet new challenges. Indeed, ordinary 3-D seismic has become just so, well, ordinary in many cases.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Eleven speakers have been announced for this year’s Distinguished Lecture program, including one speaker who will be making a record-setting fourth turn as a DL speaker. The program, funded in part by the AAPG Foundation, will offer seven domestic and four international speakers this season.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

When you’re hot, you’re hot -- sizzling, in fact. Whether offshore -- like the Western Neptune, left, acquiring a wide-azimuth seismic survey in the Gulf of Mexico -- or deep in undeveloped territory, the seismic industry is having no trouble finding work to keep them busy.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

In last month’s Geophysical Corner we considered how to improve the seismic resolution of deepwater, near-seafloor geology using P-P data acquired with seafloor-positioned multicomponent sensors. This month we move to part two: We show how P-SV (converted-shear) data acquired with these same sensors provide even greater resolution of deepwater, near-seafloor strata.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

You ain’t seen nuthin ‘til you’ve seen the Tuscaloosa! Sound familiar? If so, it’s because this was probably the most popular talk making the rounds of the professional meeting circuit in the late 1970s.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

Unconventional hydrocarbons are so like, well, in these days. Indeed, coalbed methane, shale gas, oil sands and such have quickly become the darlings of many operators and financial analysts alike. But there are other things to be excited about as well.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Like Estragon and Vladimir, who are waiting for the inevitable in Waiting for Godot, geologists, too, are waiting for an earthquake to come to Los Angeles and its surrounding communities. And like the two protagonists in Beckett’s masterpiece, they also don’t know when it will come, where it will appear or the extent of its impact.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Even the bravest of souls are known to fear Mother Nature’s wrath, which can be mighty scary, unpredictable and often fatal. In the case of potentially devastating events like slow-moving hurricanes, there’s time to prepare to ride it out and take your chances -- or else “get out of Dodge.”

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Oil in Belize. It could be an epic poem written by Byron, or a knowing verse by Rudyard Kipling. It’s also a ripping adventure, with a small band of True Believers finding victory on a remote frontier.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

Multicomponent seismic data have unique value for studying near-seafloor geology in deepwater environments. When properly processed, P-P (compressional) and P-SV (converted-shear) images made from 4-C seismic data acquired in deep water with seafloor sensors show near-seafloor geology with amazing detail. This article is the first of two that describe how improved imaging of near-seafloor, deepwater strata can be achieved with conventional multicomponent seismic data.

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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.

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Request a visit from Jacob Covault!

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.

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Request a visit from Frank Peel!

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)

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