Explorer Article

The Energy Minerals Division celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2002. The Division emphasized to the AAPG membership that it was AAPG’s center of activity on energy minerals and unconventional energy resources. EMD originally focused primarily on coal, uranium, geothermal energy, oil shales and tar sands. However, its focus expanded and in 2002, EMD’s most active unconventional resource areas were coalbed methane, gas hydrates, and unconventional energy economics.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

Mountains and beaches. Colonial cities, farming communities, indigenous villages. Central Eastern Mexico is full of diverse cultures and landscapes. It is also home to the Tampico-Misantla super basin, a 25,000-square-kilometer area that has produced oil since 1869.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

Its present lull notwithstanding, the Permian Basin has been a production behemoth for years. The archetypal super basin in West Texas is the primary growth driver in U.S. oil production and may become the largest oil patch in the world over the next decade.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Learn! Blog

Groundwater resources are valuable resources, especially in arid climates such as in South Africa where in a dry year they may receive no rain at all. Welcome to an interview with Surina Esterhuyse, who speaks to us about the special challenges facing water scarce countries and her particular experience in South Africa.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Foundation Update

AAPG’s historic Distinguished Lecture program has undergone a revolutionary transformation aimed at extending the program’s accessibility, audience and reach.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

Generally, the fine-grained shale rocks are found to be composed of 50 to 70 percent clay, anywhere between 25 to 40 percent silt- and clay-sized quartz, and 5 percent of minerals including feldspars and carbonates, comprising the total rock volume. A variety of techniques such as X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy are available, which help us understand the type of clay minerals present in a shale sample.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

In 2017, AAPG celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding in Tulsa, Okla. This same year was also the 40th anniversary of the establishment the AAPG Energy Minerals Division. The EMD has evolved as an organization over the past 40 years to reflect the changes in the mix of resources fueling the world’s ever-increasing energy demand.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Learn! Blog

Imagine if Siri or Alexa went to school, got an advanced degree in Petroleum Engineering and Geoscience, then went to work in the oilfield for several years, attended technical conferences, read journals and books; envision the product and the process, and you’d have NESH, the Smart Assistant for oil and gas. In addition, you have a chance to try out NESH and collaborate and explore a customizable artificial intelligence. It’s a tremendous opportunity. Welcome to an interview with Sidd Gupta, founder of NESH.

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

The Energy Minerals Division’s total membership remains healthy with more than 3,000 members. Rather than focusing on a pure numbers game, EMD’s focus this year will be on servant leadership. Our challenge is to identify members who are willing to participate in one of our many committees and serve as new leaders to replace the current committee chairs and officers.

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

Notwithstanding the increases in oil prices we’ve seen in recent years, the cost controls put in place in response to the downturn persist. And it’s not just E&P companies looking to the future and tightening their belts. The major oil and gas producing economies are, too.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Hot Items

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

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

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

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 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)

Headquarters Contacts

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