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U.S. Crude Oil Falls below $70 a Barrel - 07 December, 2023 07:30 AM

Wind and Solar Pose Climate Threat Too, Oil Giant Saudia Arabia Argues - 07 December, 2023 07:30 AM

Biden Struggles to Embrace America's Quiet Oil Boom - 07 December, 2023 07:30 AM

Canada Orders Emissions Cuts Up to 38 Percent for Oil and Gas Firms - 07 December, 2023 07:30 AM

Oil CEO says Blaming Energy Industry for Climate 'Like Blaming Farmers for Obesity - 06 December, 2023 07:30 AM

News in Review ...

15 Jan

Cross Regional Carbonates and Mixed Carbonate Systems Symposium Call for Abstracts Expires in 38 days

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04 Feb

4th Edition: Stratigraphic Traps of the Middle East Call for Posters Expires in 58 days

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19 Feb

Methane Monitoring Associated with Well Plugging & Abandonment for Active, Marginal, Idle, and Orphan Wells Member Earlybird Fee Expires in 73 days

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19 Feb

Methane Monitoring Associated with Well Plugging & Abandonment for Active, Marginal, Idle, and Orphan Wells Non-Member Earlybird Fee Expires in 73 days

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29 Apr

2nd Edition: Geological Process-Based Forward Modeling AAPG Call For Abstracts Expires in 143 days

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Explorer ProTracks By Hala Alwagdani

Investing in Education

At a time when the geoscience job market is suffering from low demand and fewer jobs, the Middle East is hungry for petroleum geoscientists.

Added on 01 May, 2020

Explorer President’s Column By Mike Party

An Unprecedented Time

We have been through a month of lockdown due to the coronavirus, and in that time, we have seen oil prices go into negative numbers. This is paper barrels! The commodity market has a place in our business and it’s helpful to understand the history and how the commodity market has changed our industry.

Added on 01 May, 2020

Explorer Director’s Corner By David Curtiss

Considering What’s Next

May is upon us. In the northern hemisphere we’re in the middle of spring, a time of awakening and new beginnings. Here in Oklahoma, the sun is shining, the grass is green and the roses are in bloom. But there’s another side to spring in Oklahoma: tornado season. And for many of us, the present situation looks more like foreboding thunderheads, hail, fierce winds and sheets of rain. COVID-19 continues to spread illness and uncertainty. Far too many of us have either been directly affected by this virus or know someone who has. None of us has escaped the impact of a staggering collapse in oil prices. Graduation has been canceled. This month looks more sinister than sunny. And all of us – newly minted graduates, mid- career and seasoned veterans alike – are asking, “What’s next?”

Added on 01 May, 2020

Explorer Article By Michael McWalter

Petroleum Geoscientists Gather in Paradise

Some 257 people gathered at the beautiful new Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in the last week of February 2020 to attend the first AAPG/EAGE Papua New Guinea Petroleum Geoscience Conference and Exhibition. The theme for the conference was, “PNG’s Oil and Gas Industry Maturing Through Exploration Development and Production.”

Added on 01 May, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Heather Saucier

Watkins Launches Astrogeology Dream with HGS Scholarship

In a room of more than 150 geoscientists gathered to support scholarship recipients of the Houston Geological Society, the question was asked: “How many of you secretly want to be an astronaut?” Dozens of hands shot up. Yes, it is cool to study rocks on Earth, but with exploration in the DNA of scientists, the rocks on the moon and on Mars inevitably beckon. In a keynote address to recipients of $50,000 in scholarships from the HGS Scholarship Committee chaired by past AAPG President Charles Sternbach, Jessica Watkins – a newly graduated astronaut from NASA and planetary geologist – made the possibility of space exploration a little less out of reach for budding geoscientists.

Added on 01 May, 2020

Explorer Article By Ian Norton,John Snedden,Marcie Phillips,Paul Weimer,Robert Cunningham,William Galloway

The Paleogene (Wilcox) Deepwater Play

Joshua Rosenfeld’s article in the April EXPLORER issue’s Historical Highlights provides an interesting compilation of observations selected to support an unproven hypothesis: that the large influx of Paleogene Wilcox sandstones in the Gulf of Mexico can be linked to a major evaporative drawdown of the basin, loosely aligned with and possibly triggering the Paleocene-Eocene thermal event. We offer our observations based on decades of oil industry experience working the Wilcox play, more than 55 peer- reviewed academic papers and one book on Gulf of Mexico sedimentary basin.

Added on 01 May, 2020

Explorer Geophysical Corner By Kurt Marfurt,Satinder Chopra

3-D Seismic Volume Visualization in Color: Part 3

The interactive visualization of seismic attributes makes an effective use of color. Any color can be represented in RGB color space, which forms the working model for computer and television monitors. Normally, humans do not think of any color as a mixture of these three colors, but often refer to colors being more- or less-saturated, having different tones, or even one color being brighter than the other. Thus, besides the 3-D RGB color space, other more intuitive 3-D color models such as HSV and HSL have also been developed, with the application of the latter model for co-visualizing two or three different seismic attributes.

Added on 01 May, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Heather Saucier

Geoscience Programs Evolve Through Declining Enrollment

With oil reaching historic lows, massive layoffs, a growing stigma against fossil fuels, and new fields of science with a futuristic feel, it is understandable why studying the geosciences – particularly for careers in petroleum – might strike a student as a bad idea. Most would agree the oil and gas industry has a major public relations crisis on its hands. To remain relevant, it must demonstrate the growing need for geoscientists in forward-thinking positions where job security is all but a given.

Added on 01 May, 2020

Explorer Article By David Brown

Where Is the Industry Going to Get Its Capital?

'Attracting investment capital looked like a challenge for the oil and gas industry heading into this year, as investors put increased emphasis on profitability and steady returns. At first that situation appeared to be an emerging problem. Then prices fell off a cliff, with damaging results for exploration funding. The worldwide spread of the coronavirus gutted oil demand while a dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia left both sides threatening to increase crude production. OPEC+ eventually reached a compromise on cutting output, but most analysts felt it was too little, too late, putting oil and gas in a money crunch. '

Added on 01 May, 2020

Events Blog By Grant Smith

Part of AAPG’s GeoAnalytics Credentialing Program, this two-day online AAPG Short Course, Excel-Based Random Forest Machine Learning Algorithms: Programming and Application 2.0, is set to take place 28–29 April 2020 for web-based participation only.

Added on 21 April, 2020

Field Seminar

Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Sunday, 3 March 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Neogene Outcrops as Analogues for Stratigraphic Traps in the Subsurface

Trip Leaders Saeed Tofaif, Saudi Aramco Mohammed Sadah, Saudi Aramco Pre-Workshop Field Trip Date: 3 March Registration Deadline: 4 February Attendee Limit: 12-Min. / 25-Max. --> Fee: $200 Note:To register for the field trip please select the field trip option while completing your registration for the workshop The Hadrukh Formation of eastern Saudi Arabia was deposited in early Miocene in tidal, restricted lagoon and sabkha settings with fresh water incursions. Deposition in these non-marine, semi-arid coastal plains resulted deposition of varying lithologies in short lateral extent. This field trip to Hadrukh Formation outcrops in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia offers observation of internal stratigraphy of the Hadrukh Formation and lithological changes in the lateral extent, which is a key component in defining stratigraphic traps in the subsurface.

Added on 07 December, 2023

Short Course

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Thursday, 29 February 2024, 7:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m.

Methane Monitoring Associated with Well Plugging & Abandonment for Active, Marginal, Idle, and Orphan Wells

Added on 05 December, 2023

Short Course By Jon Rotzien

Fort Worth, Texas

Thursday, 18 January 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Deepwater Sedimentary Systems: Science, Discovery and Applications

Instructor: Jon Rotzien First 100 Registrants will also receive a copy of The Explorer’s Mindset: Lessons in Leadership in the Applied Geosciences and Energy Industry Short Course to be offered Jan. 18 and 19

Added on 15 November, 2023

Workshop

Palermo, Italy

Monday, 22 April – Wednesday, 24 April 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Cross Regional Carbonates and Mixed Carbonate Systems Symposium

This Symposium marks a collaborative event that brings together AAPG Europe and AAPG Middle East, with a central focus on carbonates and mixed carbonate systems worldwide, while highlighting their significance within these two regions. The primary objectives are an overview of controls that govern the evolution of these systems in time and space and the characterization and prediction of their properties across scales.

Added on 05 October, 2023

Workshop

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Monday, 27 May – Wednesday, 29 May 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

2nd Edition: Geological Process-Based Forward Modeling

In order to support the energy transition, optimizing exploration and production from complex stratigraphic-diagenetic conventional and unconventional plays remains highly important. At the same time, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) poses new technological challenges that will impact both the industry and academia for decades to come. This 2nd edition will present reviews and discuss technology developments in geological process-based forward modeling achieved during the last 2 years. New perspectives for future technology developments and implementation in industry workflows will be discussed and with the additional focus on CO₂ storage and other sustainability-related applications, the scope of the workshop will be considerably extended.

Added on 05 September, 2023

Workshop

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tuesday, 30 January – Wednesday, 31 January 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

AAPG/EAGE New Discoveries in Mature Basins

AAPG and EAGE have teamed up to deliver the upcoming New Discoveries in Mature Basins workshop to be held from 30-31 January, 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Save the date! Registration to open soon.

Added on 28 November, 2022

Workshop

Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Monday, 4 March – Wednesday, 6 March 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

4th Edition: Stratigraphic Traps of the Middle East

Join us for the 4th Edition of: "Stratigraphic Traps of the Middle East" workshop. The workshop will be hosted by AAPG in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia 4-6 March 2024.

Added on 16 November, 2022

Workshop

Paramaribo, Suriname

Wednesday, 17 January – Thursday, 18 January 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Maturing Sustainable Solutions to Explore, Develop and Produce Oil and Gas Across the Guyana Suriname Basin

Plan now to attend an interactive in-person workshop with industry leaders, government representatives and technical experts working in the Guyana-Suriname Basin.

Added on 02 November, 2022

VG Abstract By Keith Gerdes

Tethyan Carbonates - Linking Tropical Seas and Crashing Plates to Some of the Largest Oil and Gas Fields in the World

The carbonate sequences that were deposited in the now exhumed Tethyan Ocean influence many aspects of our lives today, either by supplying the energy that warms our homes and the fuel that powers our cars or providing the stunning landscapes for both winter and summer vacations. They also represent some of the most intensely studied rock formations in the world and have provided geoscientists with a fascinating insight into the turbulent nature of 250 Million years of Earth’s history. By combining studies from the full range of geoscience disciplines this presentation will trace the development of these carbonate sequences from their initial formation on the margins of large ancient continental masses to their present day locations in and around the Greater Mediterranean and Near East region. The first order control on growth patterns and carbonate platform development by the regional plate-tectonic setting, underlying basin architecture and fluctuations in sea level will be illustrated. The organisms that contribute to sequence development will be revealed to be treasure troves of forensic information. Finally, these rock sequences will be shown to contain all the ingredients necessary to form and retain hydrocarbons and the manner in which major post-depositional tectonic events led to the formation of some of the largest hydrocarbon accumulations in the world will be demonstrated.

Request a visit from Keith Gerdes!

Added on 24 August, 2015

DL Abstract By Shane Prochnow

Subsurface Machine Learning Approaches at Hydrocarbon Recovery and Resource Forecasting for Unconventional Reservoir Systems

This presentation is a survey of subsurface machine learning concepts that have been formulated for unconventional asset development, described in the literature, and subsequently patented. Operators that utilize similar subsurface machine learning workflows and other data modelling techniques enjoy a competitive advantage at optimizing the development of unconventional plays.

Request a visit from Shane Prochnow!

Added on 14 September, 2023

DL Abstract By John Suppe

Probing What Makes the Crust Strong (or Weak): Insight from Boreholes, Earthquakes, Active Fault Systems, and Toy Models

For well over a century there have been conflicting indications of the strength of the crust and of faults and what controls them. Much of our ignorance comes quite naturally from the general inaccessibility of the crust to measurement--in contrast with our understanding of the atmosphere, which is much more accessible to observation as well as more rapidly changing. Crustal strength is best understood in deforming sedimentary basins where the petroleum industry has made great contributions, particularly in deforming petroleum basins because of the practical need to predict. In this talk we take a broad look at key issues in crustal strength and deformation and what we can learn from boreholes, earthquakes, active fault systems, and toy models.

Request a visit from John Suppe!

Added on 14 September, 2023

DL Abstract By Sherilyn Williams-Stroud

Atmospheric and Social Climate Change: Implications for the Future Geoscience Workforce

Climate change is not only happening in the atmosphere but also in the anthroposphere; in some ways the former could drive or exacerbate the latter, with extreme weather excursions and extreme excursions from societal norms occurring all over the earth. Accomplishing geoscience for a common goal – whether that is for successful business activities, resource assessment for public planning, mitigating the impacts of geological hazards, or for the sheer love of furthering knowledge and understanding – can and should be done by a workforce that is equitably developed and supported. Difficulty arises when the value of institutional programs to increase equity and diversity is not realized.

Request a visit from Sherilyn Williams-Stroud!

Added on 14 September, 2023

DL Abstract By Kurt W. Rudolph

The Assembly of Pangea, a View from Laurentia: Paleozoic Orogenies and their Impact on Basin Evolution and Petroleum Systems

Paleozoic North America has experienced multiple mountain building events, from Ordovician to Permian, on all margins of the continent. These have had a profound effect on the resulting complex basins and their associated petroleum systems. Subsequent uplift, erosion and overprinting of these ancient systems impedes the direct observation of their tectonic history. However, the basin sedimentary records are more complete, and provide additional insights into the timing and style of the mountain building events. In this study, we employ ~90 1D basin models, ~30 inverse flexural models, isopachs, and paleogeographic maps to better understand the Paleozoic history of North America.

Request a visit from Kurt W. Rudolph!

Added on 14 September, 2023

DL Abstract By John Castagna

Beyond Physics in Geophysics

Physics is an essential component of geophysics but there is much that physics cannot know or address.

Request a visit from John Castagna!

Added on 14 September, 2023

DL Abstract By Jennifer Wilcox

The Role of Carbon Capture in Meeting Net-Zero Carbon Goals

President Biden has laid out a bold and ambitious goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the United States by 2050. The pathway to that target includes cutting total greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and eliminating them entirely from the nation’s electricity sector by 2035. The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management will play an important role in the transition to net-zero carbon emissions by reducing the environmental impacts of fossil energy production and use – and helping decarbonize other hard-to abate sectors.

Request a visit from Jennifer Wilcox!

Added on 20 July, 2022

DL Abstract By Frank Peel

A Lost World Rediscovered: 3D Seismic Data Reveal Spectacular Images of a Jurassic Landscape on the Eve of Louann Salt Deposition in the Gulf of Mexico, with Implications for Salt Deposition

Around 170 million years ago, the Gulf of Mexico basin flooded catastrophically, and the pre-existing landscape, which had been a very rugged, arid, semi-desert world, was drowned beneath an inland sea of salt water. The drowned landscape was then buried under kilometers of salt, perfectly preserving the older topography. Now, with high-quality 3D seismic data, the salt appears as a transparent layer, and the details of the drowned world can be seen in exquisite detail, providing a unique snapshot of the world on the eve of the flooding event. We can map out hills and valleys, and a system of river gullies and a large, meandering river system. These rivers in turn fed into a deep central lake, whose surface was about 750m below global sea level. This new knowledge also reveals how the Louann Salt was deposited. In contrast to published models, the salt was deposited in a deep water, hypersaline sea. We can estimate the rate of deposition, and it was very fast; we believe that the entire thickness of several kilometers of salt was laid down in a few tens of thousands of years, making it possibly the fastest sustained deposition seen so far in the geological record.

Request a visit from Frank Peel!

Added on 16 November, 2022

DL Abstract By Tao Sun

Integrated Reservoir Characterization and Modeling with Computational Stratigraphy

As oil and gas exploration and production occur in deeper basins and more complex geologic settings, accurate characterization and modeling of reservoirs to improve estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) prediction, optimize well placement and maximize recovery become paramount. Existing technologies for reservoir characterization and modeling have proven inadequate for delivering detailed 3D predictions of reservoir architecture, connectivity and rock quality at scales that impact subsurface flow patterns and reservoir performance. Because of the gap between the geophysical and geologic data available (seismic, well logs, cores) and the data needed to model rock heterogeneities at the reservoir scale, constraints from external analog systems are needed. Existing stratigraphic concepts and deposition models are mostly empirical and seldom provide quantitative constraints on fine-scale reservoir heterogeneity. Current reservoir modeling tools are challenged to accurately replicate complex, nonstationary, rock heterogeneity patterns that control connectivity, such as shale layers that serve as flow baffles and barriers.

Request a visit from Tao Sun!

Added on 20 July, 2022

DL Abstract By Alex Simms

Interactions Between Ice Sheets and Relative Sea Levels: Lessons From Antarctica and NW Scotland

Local sea-level changes are not simply a function of global ocean volumes but also the interactions between the solid Earth, the Earth’s gravitational field and the loading and unloading of ice sheets. Contrasting behaviors between Antarctica and Scotland highlight how important the geologic structure beneath the former ice sheets is in determining the interactions between ice sheets and relative sea levels.

Request a visit from Alex Simms!

Added on 21 July, 2022

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