Publications

Bulletin Article By Hugh Daigle,Kehua You,P. Kevin Meazell,Peter B. Flemings,Stephen C. Phillips,Yi Fang

Underpressure in the northern Barents shelf: Causes and implications for hydrocarbon exploration

Underpressure is encountered in both onshore Svalbard as well as in the offshore petroleum province in the Jurassic and Triassic. Glacial loading, unloading, and erosion, potentially with the aid of natural fractures, is the likely dominant underpressure generating mechanism.

Added on 23 October, 2020

Explorer Article By David Brown

North Sea Rift Basin Persists as a World Renowned Super Basin

The North Sea Rift Basin ranks as one of the world’s most famous and indefatigable super basin areas. Like a pugnacious prize fighter, it’s been counted out again and again, only to rebound and punch back into contention. While some explorers consider the North Sea province highly mature, and even late life, it continues to produce plenty of oil and gas. And discoveries.

Added on 01 October, 2020

Bulletin Article By Hugh Daigle,Kehua You,P. Kevin Meazell,Peter B. Flemings,Stephen C. Phillips,Yi Fang

Natural fracture, cleat, and strong adsorption impact on low oil and condensate retention in the Carboniferous shales and coals of the western Black Sea Basin of Turkey

Carboniferous coals and shales of the Alacaağzı, Kozlu, and Karadon Formations of the western Black Sea Basin of Turkey, have potential for unconventional hydrocarbons. Low oil saturation indexes, however, may explain why coalbed methane exploration wells failed to produce.

Added on 22 September, 2020

Explorer Historical Highlights By Rasoul Sorkhabi

OPEC at 60

Sixty years ago this month, on Sept. 14, 1960, representatives from five oil producing gathered at the Al-Shaab Hall in Baghdad to form the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. OPEC was formally dedicated to “the coordination and unification of the petroleum policies of the member countries and the determination of the best means of safeguarding their interests, individually and collectively.” Public perceptions in the West about OPEC are usually negative. OPEC is viewed as an oil cartel, or even a monopoly, whose sole purpose is to control the oil market. The 60th anniversary of OPEC is an appropriate opportunity to review its formation.

Added on 01 September, 2020

Explorer Article By Emily Llinás

Cancel, Postpone or Transform

AAPG’s Latin America and Caribbean Region started 2020 with a strong lineup of technical and business events. The year 2020 was the year of promise. The Hedberg Conference went well in February, but one of the participants from China canceled travel plans because of a coronavirus outbreak in the country. One month later, the world turned upside down. Countries closed their borders, companies sent workers home, and sponsors canceled support. In-person conferences were not just risky but prohibited in most cases. It was time to go back to the drawing board.

Added on 01 August, 2020

Explorer Historical Highlights By Paul J. Markwick

Paleogeography in Exploration

There is something about colored pencils that we, as geologists, find impossible to resist. From geological maps to field sketches to interpreting seismic on those never-ending rolls of paper taped to the longest corridor wall we can find – what more could any geologist want? Our need for powerful software, paper and colored pencils reflects a fundamental problem in geology and especially exploration: how to manage, analyze and visualize the diversity and wealth of information required to solve exploration problems? Early geologists were faced with the same challenge 200 years ago. It was one of the first petroleum geologists, Thomas Sterry Hunt, who saw the value of paleogeography in exploration, and who, in 1873, first coined the term “paleogeography.”

Added on 01 August, 2020

Explorer Article By David Brown

Source of Confusion

Understanding source rock provides a key to evaluating the hydrocarbon potential of super basins and an important tool for basin exploration. Geologists get the basics right, in general, but sometimes they might be thinking about source rock the wrong way. They are definitely talking about it in the wrong way.

Added on 01 August, 2020

Explorer Article By Gretchen Flint

Announcing the Recipients of the 2020 AAPG Student Chapter Awards

Recipients of 2020 AAPG Student Chapter Awards, encompassing recognition for student and volunteer achievements around the entire world, have been announced by AAPG. In a year that has seen its share of hardship, it makes it all the more special to present the awards to these deserving students, student chapters and volunteers who have risen to meet – and overcome – the challenges facing them.

Added on 01 July, 2020

Explorer Foundation Update By Jensen Angelloz

Announcing the 2020 IBA Finals Winners

Call it unprecedented, call it exciting and unpredictable, call it historic – and you’re right each time. The 2020 Imperial Barrel Award global finals competition was one for the record books – for the first time ever, the entire competition, impacted by the global pandemic that threatened to end it before it began, was held virtually in early June, adding a new chapter in the program’s illustrious history. Indeed, this year’s competition had many firsts – a global pandemic, an entirely virtual competition and the introduction of the IBA Exploration Leadership Series.

Added on 01 July, 2020

Explorer Historical Highlights By Martina Kölbl-Ebert

German Petroleum Geology from the Third Reich to the Iron Curtain

The German oil industry did not employ geologists until the 1920s. Instead, they relied on geological surveys and other resources from universities, predominantly from Jakob Stoller of the Prussian Geological Survey. After World War I, with the beginning of private motorization and the interest of the military, demand for oil began to increase. This led to the establishment of a separate department of petroleum geology and the employment of a young geologist, Alfred Bentz, as assistant to Stoller.

Added on 01 July, 2020

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