Explorer Article

During my recent 11-country AAPG Distinguished Lecture tour in Europe I had many requests for “The Environmental Realities of Hydraulic Fracturing: Fact versus Fiction,” an analysis of the root causes of the global pushback against hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking.” Central causes of public fear arose in America because of a combination of early mistakes by industry and purposeful disinformation from activists and others seeking to profit from such mistakes.

Show more
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Almost like an urban legend, geologists talk of reserves off the Mediterranean coast that contain 850 million barrels of oil and 96 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. This forbidden jewel lies untouched due to the political deadlock that exists in Lebanon. Evidence in the form of 2-D and 3-D seismic data has reinforced the rumors, but nothing can be confirmed until licenses are granted to drill in the area.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

It was a collective sigh of relief heard ‘round the state. Two months ago, Colorado Gov. John W. Hickenlooper managed to pull off what many call the compromise of the season – the political season, that is, in a state that has been dragged into a months-long, messy battle between the oil and gas industry and politicians and activists who oppose drilling on various levels.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Learn! Blog

Designed for geologists, geophysicits, petrophysicists and petroleum engineers this course will present the concepts of sedimentary geochemistry and biogeochemistry, along with the framework to interpret elemental and mineralogical records in such organic rich mudstone sequences

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Learn! Blog

Listen to Dr. Ronald Nelson as he shares his knowledge and insights on a practical approach to defining reservoir fluid and pressure related natural fracture generation and fracture property alteration in conventional and unconventional reservoirs.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Learn! Blog

Want an introduction or review of the mineralogical aspects of reservoir quality evaluation? Well here's your chance, Mineralogy Aspects of Reservoir Quality Evaluation with a Focus on Clay Minerals,  will provide attendees with fundamental information needed to evaluate and assess reservoir quality of conventional and unconventional plays.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Learn! Blog

Gain a better understanding on how to evaluate, plan and make decisions with regards to unconventional resource assessment, testing, and development planning. This course oriented towards the recognition &characterization of uncertainty in unconventional reservoirs will dive well beyond tactical number-crunching into analysis, decision-making, strategy, portfolio management, and a rudimentary understanding of risk analysis

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Regions and Sections

Whether upcoming young professionals work with companies exploring the Atlantic Margin potential of offshore eastern Canada or the ever-challenging unconventional plays in Alberta, the stakes are high for university graduates and young professionals pursuing energy industry careers in Canada.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Policy Watch

The U.S. shale oil and gas production surge and the resulting shift of the United States from a major importer to an exporter of oil and natural gas are well known, but there is disagreement about what this means for U.S. and global energy security

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

The science suggests we each have a certain amount of mental energy for daily decision-making. How we spend that energy will determine our productivity and accomplishments.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Hot Items

Explorer Article

It isn’t news to anyone that prediction is difficult, especially when it’s the future (as a great man once said). Uncertainty and unpredictability are just a part of the job of tracking and predicting the future supply and demand of energy. That being the case, when energy analysts say that the current level of uncertainty is particularly high, it might be easy to dismiss it as a “dog bites man” story. It isn’t.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

A new type of buoyancy model can be used to understand the source of residual oil zones, both thick and thin, to help determine the likelihood that economically viable recoverable oil resides in transition zones of imbibition reservoirs. Application of a buoyancy and breech model will fill a void in reservoir characterization. It will help distinguish between TZs and ROZs, the first of which allows application of primary and secondary (waterflooding) oil recovery methods and the second of which requires more difficult CO2-enhanced oil recovery projects.

Show more
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

Advancements in processing and imaging techniques have continued over the last several decades, which have gradually improved the quality of the processed surface seismic data. When the quality of the existing seismic data is not adequate to perform an interpretation task reasonably, then the interpreter looks for other options. Is it feasible to acquire a new survey? In the absence of an improved survey, will reprocessing of seismic data be a good option?

Show more
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Historical Highlights

The Casablanca oil field, discovered in 1975 and located on the Mediterranean shelf edge, has been greatly significant in the world’s offshore oil industry activity, besides being by far the biggest oil field in Spain.

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)

Headquarters Contacts

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