Explorer Article

Question: If the science of predicting the risks and mitigation of induced seismicity, figuratively speaking, was a glass of hydraulic fracturing injection fluid, would it be half full or half empty? The answer is . . . yes. One on hand, geoscientists are getting better about predicting the when and where of seismicity; on the other, there is a lot more seismicity in a lot more places that have to be predicted.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Historical Highlights

Not wishing to split hairs over which is the world’s first oil well, the majority of oil historians recognize the drilling of the Drake Well as the birth of the modern petroleum industry. What is not so well known is that some seven miles southeast of the Drake Well, in Pithole Creek, lie the remains of a city that came out of nowhere as a new town, enjoyed great splendor, then disappeared in a few years. It is the legendary Pithole City in Venango County of northwestern Pennsylvania.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

With the price of oil hovering well over $100 a barrel, some in the industry are exploring ways to revisit conventional oilfields using technology that emerged during the unconventional oil boom, with a goal of earning a rapid return on investment while prices remain favorable.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Foundation Update

Ahmed Ismail, a passionate geoscience educator who not only showed potential but also sensed a career calling as early as grade school, has been named this year’s recipient of the AAPG Foundation’s Inspirational Geoscience Educator Award. Ismail, who has international experience in academia, the energy service sector (Schlumberger) and with the Illinois State Geological Survey, is an assistant professor at the Boone Pickens School of Geology at Oklahoma State University, where he has taught since 2016.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

This is the story of two tragedies – one in Nepal, one in India – but more importantly, how humanitarian projects by Geoscientists without Borders may help prevent the devastation of the next two. And the tragedies after that. In 2015, an earthquake struck near Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu, which is in the central part of the country. Almost 10,000 people were killed, many thousands more injured and more than 600,000 structures in Kathmandu and other nearby towns were either damaged or destroyed. Václav Kuna, a postdoctoral geophysics researcher was moved to do something about it.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Historical Highlights

There are times when national and local forces combine in such a way that the entire hydrocarbon value chain is realized in a frontier area over the course of only a few years. Such was the case for the natural gas fields in southwestern Wyoming over the decades of the 1920s to the ‘40s.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

These days, more uncertain than the price of gas, especially with the announcement last month from the administration to ban the import of Russian oil and gas, combined with the European Union’s decision to cut imports by 80 percent, is the question of whether the world will get the energy it needs – and who will provide it. To that end, it’s worth considering what conventional oil and gas reservoirs here in America can be drilled and placed online quickly to help fill that need.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

Here’s one sign of change in university- level geoscience education: This year, for the first time, both recipients of AAPG’s Grover E. Murray Memorial Distinguished Educator Award are female geology professors. Their careers have followed different paths and include contrasting professional interests, but the stories of their respective educational histories share several common links. That story starts with James Taylor. And chocolate chip cookies.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Regions and Sections

What is “unconventional wisdom?” It’s the wisdom obtained from half a century of important conferences organized by the AAPG Eastern Section, founded in 1971, which recently celebrated at its 50th annual conference in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Geological Society, founded in 1945, co-hosted the conference with the Pittsburgh Association of Petroleum Geologists, created in 1984. “The theme ‘Unconventional Wisdom’ is intended to reflect not only the unconventional resources and reservoirs that have brought life to the Appalachian basin, but also to appreciate the broad heritage of our science and vocation,” said conference General Chair John Corbett.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

When it comes to biomass – and, specifically, the burning of scrap lumber and forest debris – people on both sides of the debate agree that not only do trees release carbon dioxide when burned, but they are also the most effective tool we have at removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The question and disagreement, then, is what the net result is: do trees – the source of biomass for energy – capture the same amount of CO2 (through photosynthesis) while growing? “Almost half of the ‘renewable’ energy that Western Europe credits itself for is biomass of various kinds,” said Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Short Course
Houston, Texas
Sunday, 16 June 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

In Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), hydraulic stimulation is used to increase the flow rate achievable during circulation between geothermal wells. This course will cover key concepts related to hydraulic fracturing and reservoir engineering in EGS.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Short Course
Houston, Texas
Sunday, 16 June 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

This course provides a comprehensive methodology for the diagnosis, analysis, and forecasting of well production data in unconventional resources.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Short Course
Houston, Texas
Saturday, 15 June Sunday, 16 June 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

This two-day course introduces a workflow and reviews methods for performing quantitative rate-transient analysis of fractured vertical and multi-fractured horizontal wells (MFHWs), produced from unconventional (low-permeability) gas and light oil reservoirs, including shales.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Short Course
Houston, Texas
Saturday, 15 June 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Short Course
Houston, Texas
Saturday, 15 June 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Learn how to prepare for, conduct, and document safe and effective field activities involving students (field camps) and/or local inhabitants (Geoscientists without Borders) by following generally accepted health, safety, security, and environmental (HSSE) practices.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Workshop
Houston, Texas
Tuesday, 21 May Wednesday, 22 May 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

As the world heads toward what could be a significant shortfall in energy supply relative to demand, it is more important than ever for our industry to help stakeholders understand the contribution of the hydrocarbon sector in balancing that energy equation. To do that, the industry needs individuals who can find, exploit, and appropriately assess reserves and resources. The AAPG DPA – SPE OGRC Petroleum Reserves and Resources Forum will help decision makers better understand the energy resource picture, and help interpreters and investors make more accurate reserve and resource assessments.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Short Course
Houston, Texas
Saturday, 15 June 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

This one-day course familiarizes attendees with the issues in the discipline of geohazards assessment. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to identify, select, and interpret the appropriate geohazards data, understand different types of geohazards documents, and engage the full-time geohazards specialist to complete a thorough assessment.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Webinar
Virtual Webinar
Wednesday, 26 August 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Join us for 'Critical Minerals and Next Generation Batteries, Part II' where we will discuss an overview of battery tech and critical materials, new trends in energy storage, new opportunities in local energy generation and storage, lithium, rare earths and more. Webinar will be presented via Zoom 7pm -8:30pm CDT, 26 August 2020.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Online e-Symposium
Thursday, 12 July 2012, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

This presentation will look at well placement vertically in the pay, well azimuth and well trajectory with explanations of how geology and post-depositional effects can make the difference between a successful well and a failure.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Webinar
Virtual Webinar
Wednesday, 22 July 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Join us for 'Sustainable Solutions for the Energy Transition'. Sustainable Solutions for the Energy Transition strategies for pivoting for new revenue and diversification in today's times. Webinar will be presented via Zoom 7pm - 8:30pm CDT 22 July 2020.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Online e-Symposium
Thursday, 20 August 2009, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

This e-symposium covers advances in geothermal energy, integration with petroleum operations, and lessons learned in recent cases.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Online e-Symposium
Thursday, 28 April 2011, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

The Niobrara Petroleum System of the U.S. Rocky Mountain Region is a major tight petroleum resource play.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Webinar
Virtual Webinar
Wednesday, 19 August 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Join us for 'Batter Tech and Critical Minerals' where we will discuss an overview of battery tech and critical materials, new trends in energy storage, new opportunities in local energy generation and storage, lithium, rare earths and more. Webinar will be presented via Zoom 7pm -8:30pm CDT, 19 August 2020.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Online e-Symposium
Thursday, 28 July 2011, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

This presentation discusses one operator’s approach to fully integrate data captured in the Marcellus Shale in order to optimize horizontal well performance.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Webinar
Virtual Webinar
Wednesday, 15 July 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Join us for 'New Subsurface Tools and Techniques'. New Subsurface Tools and Techniques and strategies for pivoting for new revenue and diversification in today's times. This webinar will be presented via Zoom 7pm - 8:30pm CDT, 15 July 2020.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Online e-Symposium
Thursday, 11 November 2010, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

This e-symposium is ideal for geologists, geophysicists, engineers and other geoscientists who are involved in gas shale exploration and production.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Online e-Symposium
Tuesday, 9 September 2014, 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.

Water cut is a big factor in gauging the success of horizontal drilling in the Mississippi Lime Play (MLP). The contributing factors are related in part to the spectrum of producing lithofacies and reservoir quality encountered that varies laterally and vertically, sometimes dramatically. 

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Autumn Haagsma Autumn Haagsma President (2023-2024) Michigan Geological Survey (269) 387-8696
Amy Lynn Spaziani Amy Lynn Spaziani President Elect (2023-2024) Spaziani Geoservices, LLC
Dan A. Billman Dan A. Billman Advisory Councilor (2019-2025) Billman Geologic Consultants Inc (724) 916-4557

The House of Delegates of the AAPG is made up of delegates from affiliated societies and international regions throughout the world. They are selected by popular vote from within their respective areas and serve a three year term.

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