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Explorer Emphasis Article By Barry Friedman

Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin, will grant no quarter about either the history and benefits of energy in our lives or its potential to improve our future. “Access to affordable, reliable energy is the foundation of modern economies,” he said. This subject has been on his mind of late, for he has spent the last two years studying those who are, as he puts it, suffering from “energy poverty.” Some 2.5 billion people worldwide live in some form of energy poverty today. “Access to secure energy,” Tinker said, “impacts all other major humanitarian issues, including hunger, shelter, clean water, education, healthcare, human migration, empowerment of women, and more. Those who do not have energy access suffer from energy poverty.”

Added on 01 February, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Heather Saucier

Oil Majors Plan for Low-carbon Future

Take a look at many of the major energy companies’ websites and you’re likely to see a “New Energies”-section with an outlined commitment for ultimately achieving “net zero” carbon emissions. Shell, for example, has increased the number of employees in its New Energies sector from 60 to 800 in the past two years. However, when looking at the world’s energy leaders, none have agreed on a clear path forward.

Added on 01 February, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By David Brown

Analyst: Uncertainty Is the Oil Industry's Greatest Challenge

The oil and gas industry faces some significant near-term business challenges, which implies a difficult path forward for geoscientists and other professionals in the industry. Uncertainty might be the biggest challenge, which makes today’s situation especially tricky.

Added on 01 February, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Heather Saucier

Owning the Narrative

Talk of mitigating carbon footprints is growing louder. Regardless of differing views on the carbon issue, many in the oil and gas industry and beyond are beginning to make changes not only to be better stewards of the environment, but to protect business from growing public and investor sentiments against fossil fuels. Public opinion is now infiltrating investor sentiments and the industry needs to adopt significant changes that will keep the public and investors on board.

Added on 01 February, 2020

Explorer Division Column DPA By John Jordan

What Does It Mean To Be An Active Member?

Earlier this year Mary Barrett, past president of the Division of Environmental Geology, wrote an article about “belonging.” I would like to expand on that theme and raise the bar to “What does it mean to be an Active Member?”

Added on 01 January, 2020

Explorer Director’s Corner By David Curtiss

It's Already 2020. Buckle Up.

The end of the year is popularly depicted as a grizzled old man, stooped under the care and worry of the year gone by, ready to relinquish his responsibilities and pass the baton to the rosy-cheeked, diapered baby crawling expectantly into a new year. I’m not sure if this depiction is true this year, because I’m not sure where 2019 went – it feels like we barely got out of adolescence. And now, here we are, beginning anew. Happy New Year!

Added on 01 January, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Ken Milam

Pushing New Frontiers With Proven Basins

In the arena of super basins, what’s old is new again. With new technology, oil finders are finding great success by returning to basins once thought to be mature. While exploration continues along new frontiers, the industry has returned to the world’s richest petroleum-bearing basins with an all-out effort to optimize extensive infrastructure using new technology.

Added on 01 January, 2020

Explorer Historical Highlights By Michael S. Johnson

An Oil Trap Unlike Any Other

I was involved in the 2006 discovery of Parshall Oil Field in the Bakken reservoir of North Dakota, one of the largest oil fields in North America. My prospect idea was based on meager geologic data that included two key wells and used the potential of new horizontal drilling technology.

Added on 01 January, 2020

Explorer Emphasis Article By Heather Saucier

Basin and Super Basin

As basins such as the Permian have crushed the concept of “peak oil” by doubling past production rates using new ideas and technology, their newly dubbed “super basin” status is inspiring operators on practically every continent to do the same.

Added on 01 January, 2020

Explorer Article By David Brown

2019: The Year in Review

The oil and gas industry began 2019 hoping to thrive and ended the year mostly happy to survive. Offshore drilling dominated exploration but, despite several significant discoveries, reserve replacement rates remained low. Global geopolitical tensions simmered and sometimes boiled over throughout last year. In oil and gas prices, “Lower-for-Longer” came back to linger. The world saw abundant crude oil production and a surfeit of natural gas.

Added on 01 January, 2020

Field Seminar

Houston, Texas

Saturday, 1 February 2025, 8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Buffalo Bayou K-12 Educators Hurricane Hike

Everyone in Houston lives within a few miles of a bayou. Some people think of them as permanent, but the bayous are constantly changing, especially during high water events like Hurricane Harvey. This trip is a 2.5 mile walk down a section of Buffalo Bayou where we will look at the archives of past storms and discuss what to do for future storms.

Added on 05 December, 2023

DL Abstract By Fernanda Raggio

Shaping New Leadership in an Evolving Energy Business

The Energy sector is a changing business environment. Throughout the 20th century fluctuations of oil supply and demand produced changes in the barrel price that pushed the growth or shrinkage of the industry. In this 21st century, new challenges such as diversification of the energy mix, boosting gas demand, require the exploration of critical minerals and development of new technologies as well.

Request a visit from Fernanda Raggio!

Added on 19 August, 2024

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

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