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Explorer Division Column EMD By Mike Bingle-Davis

We Must Define Our Problem Before We Can Solve It

This is my final contribution to the AAPG EXPLORER as president of the Energy Minerals Division and it has been an honor. As with many other division presidents, I feel safe in the assumption that I did not achieve as much as I had hoped but take solace in the fact that as least some forward progression was made. It is in this that I would like to make my final contribution by addressing three EXPLORER articles in the last issue that reference issues that are of great concern to me: These three articles could not have been published at a better time.

Added on 01 May, 2023

Explorer President’s Column By Steven Goolsby

The World and the Industry Have Changed. AAPG Must Too

We have seen many changes in the oil and gas industry since AAPG’s founding more than 100 years ago. AAPG has also changed along with the industry in response to these changes. Our industry’s focus on various plays and areas constantly varies, while shifting product prices and sweeping changes in public opinion and governmental policy have a major impact upon companies of all sizes, as well as the geoscientists working for them.

Added on 01 May, 2023

Explorer Article By Emily Llinás

Opportunities in the Energy Trilemma

National and international energy companies today face enormous pressure from government, shareholders and society to meet increasing demand and deliver profits while meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and progressing toward a transition away from fossil fuels. The Energy Trilemma – the capacity to provide energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability simultaneously – is a term developed and measured by the World Energy Council since 2010. Whether they use “Energy Trilemma” or another term, industry leaders face daily decisions about how to provide reliable, sustainable energy for all while reducing CO2 emissions and developing cleaner energy sources.

Added on 01 May, 2023

Explorer Article By Charles Sternbach,Linda Sternbach

A New Century, Renewed Vision

We joined the Houston Geological Society shortly after arriving in Houston as new-hire geologists in 1984. We met thousands of fellow geoscientists by attending, and organizing, hundreds of technical talks for 39 years. We learned about exciting discoveries, plays and technology from those who made them happen. Along the way, we became friends with a few legends. We are grateful for the deep friendships that arose while serving as HGS volunteers. With a grateful heart, we are happy to share our committee’s plans to celebrate the centennial year.

Added on 01 April, 2023

Explorer President’s Column By Steven Goolsby

We Stand at a Fork in the Road

We are at the point that we either evolve or fade away. I’m reminded of a quote: “We stand now where two roads diverge. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road – the one less traveled by – offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.”

Added on 01 April, 2023

Explorer Historical Highlights By Gustavo Coronel

Finding Oil and Making Friends

The decade of the 1960s was both hectic and productive in the international petroleum industry. During those years, I worked for three oil and gas companies: Shell; the state-owned Corporacion Venezolana de Petróleo, or CVP; and Philips Petroleum Corporation. The geographical locations were diverse: surface exploration in western Venezuela; the Maracaibo oilfields and Caracas; The Hague, in the Netherlands; Balikpapan, Indonesia; Bartlesville, Okla.; and Lafayette, La. One of my most fruitful experiences took place in Maracaibo, when I had the opportunity to work with a four-man team from the Institut Français du Pétrole, known as IFP – the French Petroleum Institute. They had been sent to Venezuela to conduct regional geological studies in support of the newly created CVP.

Added on 01 April, 2023

Explorer Article By Lee Krystinik

Some Simple Questions for New Net-Zero technologies

I have read with genuine excitement about new technologies for direct air capture of CO2, electrolytic conversion of water to hydrogen and then using the H2 to make ammonia and using CO2 from direct air capture and combining it through electrolysis to make jet fuel. These technological advances are truly impressive from a scientific perspective. However, you will need to forgive me for being rather simple-minded as I look at these impressive accomplishments.

Added on 01 April, 2023

Explorer Article By Barry Friedman

The Oil Industry, By Any Other Name

There’s an old adage that “the Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stones.” What does this have to do with oil and gas? According to Carlos Garibaldi, executive secretary of ARPEL, plenty. He said it’s a sentiment that should be both reassuring and motivating to those in the oil and gas industry, especially as the future energy landscape is so in flux.

Added on 01 April, 2023

Explorer Article By Emily Llinás

The Birth of a Movement

The Colombian people have a complex relationship with the oil and gas industry. While companies bring economic development and social programs to rural areas, they are not always received well by local populations. On March 2, the “indigenous guard” and rural residents kidnapped oilfield workers in southern Colombia. The national government intervened, leading to the release of the hostages, but Emerald Energy later requested the suspension of their hydrocarbon exploration contract. The Colombian Association of Geologists and Geophysicists is working to foster understanding between companies and communities and to take geoscience knowledge from cities and universities into remote territories.

Added on 01 April, 2023

Explorer Article By David Brown

Is There a Dark Side to ESG?

Introduced almost 20 years ago, ESG became the social responsibility yardstick of choice for money managers worldwide. Now, it has become one of the biggest controversies in finance. Investing based on ESG ratings has been called a scam, a failure, an attack on fossil fuels, an example of “woke” capitalism, a mix of greenwashing and corporate deception, a dereliction of fiduciary duty. What happened?

Added on 01 April, 2023

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AAPG 2022 Strategic Planning Survey Summary

Executive summary of the AAPG 2022 Member/Customer Planning Survey

Added on 05 April, 2023

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Advertise With Us!

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.

Added on 13 April, 2018

wwwUpdate Blog By Grant Smith

Free Access to AAPG's Discovery Series 10 and 15 Full Data Set Tutorials

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.

Added on 11 May, 2020