Explorer Article

In the world of oil and gas, an increasing number of plays in stratigraphic traps are being made – in large part due to ever-evolving seismic technology. The Discovery Thinking forum at the annual IMAGE conference in August served to highlight some of these plays in offshore frontier basins and the role that geophysics played in their discovery. “We are seeing more giant stratigraphic fields, and seismic is the key,” said past AAPG President Charles A. Sternbach, chair of the Discovery Thinking forum. “And, we are seeing more oil found at greater depths. Unconventional plays are migrating outside of the Western Hemisphere.”

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

In June of 2020, I set out to hike just the first 470 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Less than two weeks into my adventure, I thought to myself, “What the heck, why not do the whole thing?” It was then that I decided to hike the entirety of the nearly 2,200 miles that summer. I later decided that I would also write a book about it. “Rocks, Roots and Rattlesnakes” is that story of my daily adventures, as written from a geologist’s perspective.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

The war between Russia and Ukraine has seen several phases since the initial invasion in February. A series of advances by the Ukraine armed forces in the Eastern part of the country in early September created the impression that the conflict might be near an end. Russian annexation of four provinces at the end of the month convinced others that the war is far from over. What is not debatable, however, are the devastating effects that the war continues to have, particularly on Ukrainian refugees who fled hundreds or thousands of miles to escape the turmoil and seek safety for themselves and their families. This is the second in a two-part series about Ukrainian geologist refugees who fled their homeland and received assistance from colleagues living around the world, which shares the stories of other geoscientists who benefitted greatly from the funding but still struggle to find stability after having their world turned upside-down.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

“It takes a village to raise a new generation of Earth scientists, and our societies are our village.” Those words are not engraved on the door of the East Texas Geological Society, nor any other geological society in America, but if you talk to Julie Bloxson, assistant professor of geology at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nagadoches, they should be. At their best, she said, geological societies, “Create a space to share information, socialize and pass along information to the next generation of geoscientists.”

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

Natural disasters worldwide, public debate, policy decisions and shareholder pressure are just some of the factors motivating companies to seek alternatives to traditional oil and gas to fuel the ever-increasing demand for energy worldwide. One of those alternatives is hydrogen – a renewable energy source that proponents believe brings a wealth of opportunities and challenges. Argentina’s national energy company YPF is one such proponent. They are considering using natural gas from the massive Vaca Muerta play to produce “blue hydrogen,” which is produced by combining natural gas and steam.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

If the world had a comprehensive plan to address climate change, what would it look like? That’s an important question, even a crucial question for industry and businesses globally, especially the energy industry. Companies need to plan for significant climate-related action coming in the years and decades ahead. “The world does have a climate plan – or rather, a lot of plans. There’s a ton of economic and climate models that have been done around various pathways,” said Derek Pankratz, senior research manager with the Center for Integrated Research in Deloitte Services LP.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Search & Discovery, the popular open access, online journal owned and operated by Datapages, Inc. is once again accepting new submissions. We’re once again posting abstracts submitted to us by the AAPG sections and regions from their meetings. And if you’ve recently presented at one of those meetings or at IMAGE’22 and want to ensure that your work is available to a broader audience, we invite you to submit your presentation slides or poster to Search & Discovery. Our team will work with you to get it formatted and posted online.

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

In my first column, I discussed some of the challenges facing our industry, AAPG, and DPA and introduced my theme for my term: “Renew and Engage.” I’m pleased to hear this resonated with so many of you and look forward to sharing the latest plans for the coming months. We are committed to deliver programs that appeal to our members, entice new members and reconnect our community.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Readers Forum

Back when I kept a summer home in Denver, I had two neighbors who bought mountain bikes. Two years later, I bought one of the bikes for 10 cents on the dollar. It was in pristine condition. I asked my neighbor why he was selling. He said, “It never did anything for me.” I asked him how often he rode it. He replied, “Ride it? You mean I have to put energy into this thing?” The AAPG is the same as a mountain bike. They are both wonderful vehicles that can take you to exciting places. But you must put energy into them.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

András Németh, a geologist and research expert for Hungarian energy company MOL, tragically passed away on Sept. 12 at the age of 46. He was a key member and supporter of the AAPG in Europe. He was an active and vocal supporter of the AAPG Foundation and three Hungarian student chapters of AAPG, and was highly involved with the Europe Region Imperial Barrel Award competition. He co-chaired the Visiting Geoscience Program from 2011-2017. He was a member of the AAPG House of Delegates since 2018, and he co-chaired the Europe Region Conference in May of this year.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Hot Items

Explorer Article

An influx of recent mergers and acquisitions has brought even more operators to the Permian, and there are some regions where there is still much geoscience to be done. 

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Adventure enthusiasts should enjoy the story of Angelo Pitoni, a larger- than-life geologist whose story includes exploits rivaling any of those portrayed on the big screen. This article focuses specifically on a chapter of his life that took place in my country, Venezuela, and forms part of our country’s oil exploration history.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Director’s Corner

Perhaps you did a double take pulling the April issue of EXPLORER from the mailbox. What is this? If you joined AAPG in the last 40 years, you’ve only known EXPLORER in its long-standing tabloid format. It worked well for many years as our advertisers – particularly seismic companies – loved the large format and the ability to display their data on a sweeping canvas. For readers, it was a little more awkward.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Brazil’s famed “Father of the Pre-Salt,” Guilherme de Oliveira Estrella, is credited with several major oil discoveries and with advances in petroleum systems research.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

The South American country of Suriname has launched an aggressive campaign to ramp up offshore oil production.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Headquarters Contacts

Susan Nash
Susan Nash Director, Innovation and Emerging Science and Technology, AAPG +1 405 314 7730