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Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

Explorer Geophysical Corner By Carolina Crovetto,Fabián Scazziota,Juan Moirano,Kurt Marfurt,Luis Vernengo,Ritesh Sharma,Satinder Chopra

Choice of Attributes for Unsupervised Seismic Facies Classification

With the increasing size of the seismic data volumes, machine learning applications have been found to accelerate the discrimination of seismic facies used in the identification of geologic patterns, defining stratigraphy and the direct indication of hydrocarbons. Many practitioners have demonstrated the application of dimensionality reduction tools such as principal component analysis and independent component analysis, or clustering techniques. Some of these are available in several commercial interpretation software packages.

Added on 01 November, 2022

Explorer Article By Heather Saucier

Geophysics Has Proven Key in Giant Stratigraphic Fields Discoveries

In the world of oil and gas, an increasing number of plays in stratigraphic traps are being made – in large part due to ever-evolving seismic technology. The Discovery Thinking forum at the annual IMAGE conference in August served to highlight some of these plays in offshore frontier basins and the role that geophysics played in their discovery. “We are seeing more giant stratigraphic fields, and seismic is the key,” said past AAPG President Charles A. Sternbach, chair of the Discovery Thinking forum. “And, we are seeing more oil found at greater depths. Unconventional plays are migrating outside of the Western Hemisphere.”

Added on 01 November, 2022

Explorer Historical Highlights By Tom Chidsey

Utah’s Rich Oil and Gas Exploration History

People often associate Utah with spectacular canyons cut into the Colorado Plateau, the state’s five national parks, incredible skiing in the beautiful mountains, the opportunity to wade around in the briny water of Great Salt Lake or hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing the “Hallelujah Chorus.” Visitors to the state, as well as most of its citizens, don’t think of Utah as a major producer of oil and gas. However, Utah has consistently ranked among the highest oil and gas producers in the United States.

Added on 01 October, 2022

Explorer Geophysical Corner By Heather Bedle,Kurt Marfurt,Ritesh Sharma,Satinder Chopra,Sumit Verma

Characterizing a Deepwater Turbidite Channel in Taranaki Basin

Deepwater turbidite reservoirs hold some of the largest petroleum reservoirs and thus are important exploration targets. By identifying and mapping the diverse architectural elements of the turbidite system and placing them within the correct geologic framework, a skilled interpreter can predict which components of the system are more likely sand or shale prone. Seismic data and seismic attributes also provide insight into the connectivity or compartmentalization of different parts of the reservoir which can be used to estimate the number of wells needed to drain the reservoir.

Added on 01 October, 2022

Explorer Foundation Update By Vern Stefanic

Introducing the Distinguished Lecture Program’s Magnificent Seven

Sometimes, challenging times call for dramatic objectives – and for a geoscience world still being redefined after years of upheaval, that’s exactly what the doctor ordered. This year’s new slate of AAPG Distinguished Lecturers has been determined, and in doing so, AAPG announces its own version of the Magnificent Seven: a diverse group of experts with international experience, specific knowledge and a hint of geoscience star power who have been selected to inform, improve and inspire geoscientists around the world.

Added on 01 September, 2022

Explorer President’s Column By Steven Goolsby

Embrace the Controversy

Controversy can be a good thing, and sometimes, the more contentious things are, the better. Many great examples of this were discussed in my first geologic graduate course, the subject of which was “The History of the Science of Geology.” It was the controversy and debate itself that provided the greatest contribution to the science of geology – not the theories. Why is it important to recognize that controversy can be a good thing – important for AAPG and a good subject for my column in the EXPLORER? The answer is that controversy can also lead to the growth and improvement of a scientific society.

Added on 01 September, 2022

Explorer Article By Doug Cook

Perseverance Examines Martian Geology for Signs of Life

NASA’s Perseverance rover is currently exploring the delta front of Jezero Crater on Mars. It has traveled 7.4 miles and drilled twelve core samples. For Katie Stack Morgan, geologist and deputy project scientist for the Perseverance Mars rover, the first close-up image of layered rocks at the base of Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta grabbed her imagination. “These are the layered rocks that we came for!” she said.

Added on 01 September, 2022

Explorer Article By Emily Llinás

Trinidad and Tobago’s Hydrocarbon Province Provides Historic Success and Future Opportunities

Nestled in the southernmost Caribbean lies Trinidad and Tobago, a 5,130-square-kilometer twin-island republic, famous for its colorful Carnival celebrations, melodious steelpan drums, picturesque beaches and savory street foods. Trinidad and Tobago is known also for its longstanding presence in the energy sector, which is the primary economic driver for the country’s population of 1.4 million. T and T’s latest Deep Water Competitive Bidding Round launched in December and closed in June. The Ministry will announce bidding round results in September.

Added on 01 August, 2022

Explorer Director’s Corner By David Curtiss

What to Expect at IMAGE ‘22

During the height of the pandemic, Society of Exploration Geophysicists Executive Director Jim White and I discussed how we could work better together – delivering an innovative conference for petroleum and energy geoscientists that also involved other geoscience disciplines focused on solving real world challenges. Our elected leaders at the time supported the vision for AAPG and SEG to create a new, joint annual meeting: the International Meeting for Applied Geoscience and Energy, or “IMAGE,” conducted in cooperation with SEPM. We’re eager and ready for IMAGE ’22 in Houston at the end of this month, and hope that you are, too.

Added on 01 August, 2022

Explorer Article By Charles Sternbach

Book Review: ‘How the Mountains Grew’

What makes John Dvorak’s “How the Mountains Grew: A New Geological History of North America” so special? Dvorak “connects the dots,” so to speak, between places of geologic wonder many geoscientists already know. The book provides context to well-known outcrops and fundamental geologic processes. There is still a lot to learn for those who have studied geology for many years.

Added on 01 July, 2022

Workshop

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tuesday, 18 February – Wednesday, 19 February 2025, 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

AAPG Orphan, Abandoned, Idle, and Marginal Wells Conference

Join us for AAPG Orphan, Abandoned, Idle and Marginal Wells Conference 2025. This workshop will focus on orphan, abandoned, idle, and marginal wells and the business opportunities and technology associated with plugging and repurposing wells, reducing methane emissions, protecting water supplies, and extending the lives of marginal wells.

Added on 16 October, 2024

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

Short Course

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Thursday, 20 February 2025, 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

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

This introduction to methane monitoring, measurement, and quantification is for all those who would like to understand the requirements and regulations regarding methane emissions and to be able to design a measurement and monitoring solution, complete with the appropriate types of technologies, techniques, and safety protocols.

Added on 05 December, 2023

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 17 February 2011, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.

Siliclastic Sequence Stratigraphy: Application to Exploration and Production

This presentation is designed for exploration/production geologists and geological managers or reservoir engineers.

Added on 02 December, 2013

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 30 August 2012, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Mississippian Carbonates in Kansas: Integrating Log, Core & Seismic

The entire Middle Pennsylvanian–to–top Precambrian basement (500 m) interval was cored in early 2011 in the BEREXCO Wellington KGS #1-32 well in Wellington Field, Sumner County, KS.

Added on 11 December, 2013

Webinar

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 29 November 2023, 9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.

Applied Biostratigraphy: An Introduction to the Ecology and Application of the Major Fossil Groups Used in the Petroleum Industry

Join us for November’s AAPG Women's Network 2023 Short-Short Course Series on Wednesday, November 29th from 9-11 am (CT) with Dr. Alicia Kahn to discuss biostratigraphy and micropaleontology, largely as it pertains to oil and gas exploration.

Added on 15 November, 2023

Webinar

Virtual Webinar

Saturday, 3 October 2020, 8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.

Sequence Stratigraphy – A Tool to Mitigate Risk in E&P Industry

Join us to hear KB Trivedi, Petroleum Geologist, discuss the paradigm of sequence stratigraphy has it enters a new phase. Webinar will be presented via Zoom on 03 October 2020, 8:00 am CST

Added on 17 September, 2020

Webinar By Stephen Ehrenberg

Virtual Webinar

Monday, 19 October 2020, 12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m.

The Etiology of Carbonate Porosity

In this webinar, Stephen Ehrenberg will present a review of the various processes that interact to determine the wide variations in porosity found in carbonate strata containing petroleum reserves. Presentation is via Zoom on Monday 19 October at 12:00 London time.

Added on 02 October, 2020

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 10 November 2011, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Heterogeneity in Carbonate Reservoirs

This work investigates how heterogeneity can be defined and how we can quantify this term by describing a range of statistical heterogeneity (e.g. coefficient of variation and the Lorenz coefficient).

Added on 11 December, 2013

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 29 April 2010, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Seismic Stratigraphy & Seismic Geomorphology of Deep-Water Depositional Systems: Processes and Products

This presentation will focus on the seismic stratigraphic and seismic geomorphologic expression of deep-water deposits, including both reservoir and non-reservoir facies.

Added on 02 December, 2013

Webinar By Vitor Abreu

Virtual Webinar

Thursday, 24 September 2020, 8:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.

A Simplified Guide to Sequence Stratigraphy

In the past 3 decades the sequence stratigraphy jargon has proliferated, resulting in multiple definitions of the same surface or new surfaces and units based on drawings of deposition in response to relative changes in sea level. The close association between base-level changes, the formation of surfaces, and specific stratal stacking that define systems tracts are at the heart of the confusion. This webinar is proposed a back-to-basics approach, emphasizing key observations that can be made from any geologic data: lithofacies, lithofacies association, vertical stacking, stratal geometries, and stratal terminations.

Added on 06 August, 2020

Webinar By Rachelle Kernen

Virtual Webinar

Thursday, 3 December 2020, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Lithostratigraphy and Chemostratigraphy of Salt Diapir Sedimentary Inclusions: Unraveling Ediacaran Salt Tectonics in the Flinders Ranges, Australia

Patawarta Diapir, approximately 2-6km2 located in the Central Flinders Ranges, South Australia, has been interpreted as a single allochthonous salt sheet containing Tonian-aged igneous and layered evaporite sedimentary intrasalt inclusions derived from the Callanna Group. In this webinar, Rachelle Kernen describes the diapir as five primarily silty limestone inclusions (0.5-2km2), re-interpreted as Ediacaran-aged Wonoka Formation and Patsy Hill member of the Bonney Sandstone (Wilpena Group). Webinar presented Thursday 3 December 2020 at 11:00 SGT (GMT+8) Singapore time

Added on 10 September, 2020

Webinar By Gil Machado

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 10 June 2020, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Reducing Uncertainty and Increasing Chances of Success Using Biostratigraphy

Gil Machado is a Petroleum Exploration Geologist with a Ph.D in stratigraphy and source rock characterization. Gil's presentation 'Reducing Uncertainty and Increasing Chances of Success Using Biostratigraphy', will explore the role of biostratigraphy in the exploration workflow. Several success cases from around the World will be detailed, showing the uses of this discipline for sedimentation age determination, paleoenvironmental interpretation and source rock characterization. Join Gil Machado via Zoom on June 10 at 12:00 GMT+1

Added on 01 June, 2020

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DL Abstract By Lesli Wood

The Shelf is a Dangerous Place: Surfing the Cretaceous Seaways

Engineering of wind farms, development of carbon sequestration projects in shelfal waters, the proliferation of communication cables that connect the world, all of these things suggest that it is time to re-examine what we know about shelf processes both updip-to-downdip and along shoreline, and the influence of shelf processes on erosion and transport of sediments.

Request a visit from Lesli Wood!

Added on 19 August, 2024

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

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

Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

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