Explorer Regions and Sections

What is “unconventional wisdom?” It’s the wisdom obtained from half a century of important conferences organized by the AAPG Eastern Section, founded in 1971, which recently celebrated at its 50th annual conference in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Geological Society, founded in 1945, co-hosted the conference with the Pittsburgh Association of Petroleum Geologists, created in 1984. “The theme ‘Unconventional Wisdom’ is intended to reflect not only the unconventional resources and reservoirs that have brought life to the Appalachian basin, but also to appreciate the broad heritage of our science and vocation,” said conference General Chair John Corbett.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

Fault interpretation on seismic data has always been a laborious task, especially for large 3-D seismic volumes. Whereas horizon autopicking has advanced significantly during the past three decades, automated seismic fault interpretation lags behind. Fortunately, recent applications of artificial intelligence (deep learning) processes for identifying faults provide significant promise for the future.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Considering that geothermal energy can supply power 24/7 for hundreds of years, it can use existing infrastructure from retired coal and nuclear plants, it is extremely attractive to investors, and that it creates more jobs than wind and solar energy, the question arises: Why does so much of this clean, natural resource remain in the ground? That was the topic of discussion at the “Geothermal 101” Geosciences Technology Workshop, hosted recently by AAPG and Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Google and Facebook recently introduced new initiatives related to climate science. Those moves generated further debate about the role – and responsibilities – of social media in regard to public discourse. Critics say that discouraging alternative viewpoints online can have negative consequences, largely because of the silo effects and bias reinforcement that already take place on social media.

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

There are many potential changes coming to AAPG and, by association, the Energy Minerals Division, but that doesn’t mean we should be static or complacent. New efforts now will help lay the groundwork for whatever the future holds. Worried EMD won’t exist in the NewOrg? Don’t! Whatever form a combined AAPG-SPE might take, there will certainly be a place for energy geoscientists interested in and working on the energy resources and issues currently addressed under the EMD umbrella. We might be working under a different name, but the need for a forum to discuss the array of resources being studied and developed by energy geoscientists will remain.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

At a session entitled, “From Petroleum Industry to Energy Industry: Global Young Professionals’ Perspectives on a Sustainable Future,” at the International Meeting for Applied Geoscience and Energy conference recently held in Denver, speakers representing the World Petroleum Council’s Young Professionals Committee attributed their career decisions to the ongoing need for oil and gas, opportunities to help the industry decarbonize and a growing number of geoscience-related fields that are in need of their skillsets to thrive.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

DeNovo uses green energy to power offshore platforms and reduce country’s carbon footprint.

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

“All of the above.” I’ve certainly said that phrase when referring to the energy needs of humanity. Sure, I’m in the hydrocarbon business, but I have happily supported utilizing all forms of energy in the quest for human thriving. And I’m not alone in this welcoming approach to energy sources. Many leading voices in the hydrocarbon community openly support an increase of renewables in the global energy mix. Of course, there are genuine concerns regarding the scalability, intermittency, availability, cost and environmental impacts of renewable energy options, but extreme rhetoric attacking renewables is rare. However, the extreme attacks on hydrocarbons have become so commonplace in today’s world that a balanced view of energy has been lost.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer President’s Column

Listening to “A Change Is Gonna Come” as I write prompted me to think about change. For some of us, change is not a comfortable thought because we focus on how change affects our sense of self, or we fixate on the potential loss of comfortable routines and familiar circumstances. For others, change is the stuff of life because it promises something new and exciting. For AAPG, change is inevitable as we prepare to serve future generations of petroleum geologists and geoscientists in closely related fields like environmental geology, geothermal energy and the burgeoning hydrogen industry.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

It is no secret that deepwater depositional systems hold some of the largest petroleum reservoirs on Earth. To get those reserves out safely, effectively and economically from such depths requires technology, expertise, and a little bit of luck. The challenges associated with doing that – determining the presence, distribution and quality of those reserves – is the work of the Quantitative Clastics Laboratory at the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Hot Items

wwwUpdate Blog

Executive summary of the AAPG 2022 Member/Customer Planning Survey

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
wwwUpdate Blog

AAPG publications are widely read by geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers. Are they your target audience? Then take advantage of the many advertising opportunities available in AAPG’s news and journal magazines.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
wwwUpdate Blog

Courtesy of AAPG and AAPG Datapages, two Discovery Series data sets have been donated free of charge for use as online teaching materials. Discovery Series 10 – Sandstone Petrology: A Tutorial Petrographic Image Atlas 2nd Edition and Discovery Series 15 – Carbonate Petrology: Interactive Petrography Tutorial, both authored by Kitty Milliken, have been posted online for easy accessibility.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
wwwUpdate Blog

Results of the 2022 AAPG Member/Customer Planning Survey.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
wwwUpdate Blog

Claudia J. Hackbarth, a Houston-based geologist who has held a variety of management and leadership positions for the Royal Dutch Shell Group, assumed the presidency of AAPG on July 1.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Headquarters Contacts

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