Student-Related Articles

Explorer Division Column EMD By Justin Birdwell

Many members of the Energy Minerals Division are researching or working to develop non-fossil energy resources, including geothermal, critical and nuclear minerals, and some “colors” of hydrogen, all in service to human civilization’s ongoing energy transition. Over the years, there has been a variety of reasons given for why the current transition is necessary. These are very real and important concerns, but what often gets left out of the public discourse on the energy transition is how complex and disruptive it will be, especially if we’re going to meet any of the ambitious goals set for this century.

Added on 01 February, 2022

Explorer Director’s Corner By David Curtiss

I’ll See You at NAPE Summit

Last month I wrote about the substantial increases in E&P investment necessary to ensure the availability of oil and gas supplies in the future to reduce price volatility and enhance global energy security. I drew on the analysis in a recent report of the International Energy Forum and IHS Markit. Business activity and investment in E&P remains on my mind this month, as I look forward to the upcoming NAPE Summit, from Feb. 8-11, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Added on 01 February, 2022

Explorer Foundation Update By Vern Stefanic

Marta Weeks-Wulf Bequeaths $5 Million Gift to AAPG Foundation

A philanthropic legacy that was born nearly 50 years ago in the ocean waters of Australia has added yet another chapter to its amazing story – and once again, to the benefit of geoscience education around the world. Marta S. Weeks-Wulf, an AAPG Foundation Trustee Associate, who, like others bearing the Weeks name, has generously and repeatedly supported the Foundation over the past four-plus decades, recently bequeathed yet another gift that will provide benefits for decades of geoscientists: A $5 million annuity gift that will be distributed through 2029.

Added on 01 February, 2022

Explorer Historical Highlights By M. R. Silverman

John Wold: A Visionary and Renaissance Man

John S. Wold was a man of such prolific industry and accomplishment that his life story reads less like a narrative and more like a series of escalating and expanding accomplishments in one field after another. Along with being a successful petroleum geologist and mineral resource producer, this award-winning AAPG Member was also an accomplished inventor, scientist, academic, entrepreneur, rancher, philanthropist and public servant. He had the distinction of being the first professional geologist in the U.S. Congress – and a petroleum geologist at that.

Added on 01 February, 2022

Explorer Geophysical Corner By Gabriel Gil,John Castagna,Kenneth Bredesen,Oleg Portniaguine,Ritesh Sharma,Satinder Chopra

Phase Decomposition and Its Applications

Phase decomposition is a novel technique that decomposes a composite seismic signal into different phase components, which can improve reservoir characterization. The technique is particularly useful in those areas where thin-bed interference causes the phase of the input seismic response to differ from the phase of the embedded wavelet in the data.

Added on 01 February, 2022

Explorer Article By David Brown

Developing Tight Oil Resources in the Middle East

When the International Petroleum Technology Conference comes to Saudi Arabia in February, the technical program will include a significant look at both unconventional oil and gas and conventional tight oil in the Middle East. Those are two different concepts in the region and the distinctions are important. The Middle East holds a large conventional tight oil resource, now emerging as a serious focus for development. With so much recent attention devoted to unconventional resources, conventional tight oil could be considered an overlooked sibling.

Added on 01 February, 2022

Explorer Article By Barry Friedman

Adventures in Geologic Entrepreneurial Financing

So what motivates a man, an entrepreneur and a geologist, who in the past eight years has secured corporate funding to the tune of $300 million for three start-up oil and gas companies, but has also seen and lived through the other end of that spectrum when he was, literally, making minimum wage? Better still, how does the man himself explain it? “I’d say the short answer is, ‘the love of a new adventure.’” That’s Donald G. Burdick, CEO of Olifant Energy, who said, perhaps surprisingly, the adventure did not come out of boredom or burnout. First at Marathon, through Samson, Vintage and QEP, and most recently at Cimarex, Laredo and Panther Energy II, he said there was always something else out there calling him.

Added on 01 February, 2022

Explorer Article By Robert Shoup

You Can’t Fool Mother Nature

I recently had the opportunity to spend several months with a number of college students. I was shocked to learn that many of them did not understand the principal of supply and demand. The law of supply and demand is immutable. Because oil is a global commodity, it is subject to the law of supply and demand.

Added on 01 February, 2022

Explorer Article By David Brown

Don’t Panic Just Yet Over Exploration Downturn

Worldwide oil and gas exploration results took a major hit from reduced investment and the ongoing COVID pandemic last year. Cautious industry spending and overall selectivity over prospects likely reduced discoveries to their lowest annual level in 75 years. Here’s the recommendation from one industry analyst for 2022’s global exploration and supply outlook: Stay chill for now.

Added on 01 February, 2022

Explorer Article By Emily Llinás

Bringing ‘Friendly Energy’ to the U’Wa People of Colombia

The cloud forests in Western Colombia’s Andes Mountains are home to a diverse group of indigenous communities including the U´wa people. Community traditions prohibit members from using energy from non-renewable sources, so most lack access to electricity. Without computers and the internet, U’wa children’s education lags behind that of other Colombians. The story changed for one U´wa village when a group of geology students and AAPG Chapter members decided to reach out.

Added on 01 February, 2022

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