Explorer Foundation Update

The AAPG Foundation sponsored the Geology Merit Badge program at the latest Scout Jamboree in summer 2023. The event attracted nearly 15,000 Scouts, Venturers, and Explorers.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Historical Highlights

Fate is defined by the American College Dictionary as, “fortune, destiny.” However, in life sometimes the outcome of fate is not so desirable, nor is it predetermined. This is the tale of two situations in which fate played a role in the early oil industry in the United States. The first instance had two fateful moments with very good outcomes, but the second led to some tragically unintended consequences.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Alaska’s North Slope is the best conventional onshore oil play in the world. That’s according to Bill Armstrong, CEO and president of Armstrong Oil and Gas, Inc. And, he will give no quarter on his belief about how robust the future is for the North Slope’s prospects. In short, Armstrong calls the area “incredible.”

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Historical Highlights

The idea of an oil-finding instrument was not new. Water dowsers were common throughout the United States and among most people of European descent worldwide, and they were quickly adapted to looking for oil. Soon after the Drake well in 1859, people started working on inventions to detect oil by geophysical methods.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Division Column DEG

The first U.S. oil well was drilled 1859 in Titusville, Penn., and the first commercial gas well was even earlier in 1825 in Fredonia, N.Y. There are two centuries of oil and gas drilling in the United States, and many of the wells in the first 150 years did not have the best plug-and-abandonment methods in place. Some of these wells are in urban areas and can endanger the residents. The number of orphaned and abandoned wells varies greatly depending on their definition. There might be millions of old and improperly plugged oil and gas wells leaking methane or contaminating groundwater in the United States, and plugging them will cost billions.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

In June of 2020, I set out to hike just the first 470 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Less than two weeks into my adventure, I thought to myself, “What the heck, why not do the whole thing?” It was then that I decided to hike the entirety of the nearly 2,200 miles that summer. I later decided that I would also write a book about it. “Rocks, Roots and Rattlesnakes” is that story of my daily adventures, as written from a geologist’s perspective.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

“It takes a village to raise a new generation of Earth scientists, and our societies are our village.” Those words are not engraved on the door of the East Texas Geological Society, nor any other geological society in America, but if you talk to Julie Bloxson, assistant professor of geology at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nagadoches, they should be. At their best, she said, geological societies, “Create a space to share information, socialize and pass along information to the next generation of geoscientists.”

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Learn! Blog

A love of geology can inspire creative self expression. Welcome to an interview with Carolyn Haas, a fine artist who has been inspired to connect histories of human and geological development by creating modern petroglyphs.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer President’s Column

I suddenly realized I was having a déjà vu moment while standing on the exhibition floor in Houston at IMAGE 2022. I was in the main aisle trying to remember where I wanted to go next when I was suddenly transported back to the AAPG annual meetings we had in the 1980s. Shockingly, the excitement and energy I could see in the large crowd ahead of me mentally jerked me back to all of those great AAPG annual conventions we had before COVID. As an old codger, I have an excuse for this kind of mental lapse, but I don’t think I was the only one who felt this way. Many other attendees expressed similar feelings to me about IMAGE ‘22.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Division Column DEG

The goal of the DEG this year is to increase the visibility of the Division in the areas of not only CCUS but also natural gas storage, hydrogen storage, compressed air energy storage and geothermal storage. Petroleum professionals are uniquely qualified to evaluate the risk and uncertainty of subsurface storage methods. We evaluate both containment risk, such as seal integrity and presence of faults, but also the impact of reservoir heterogeneities and reservoir properties on storage capacity.

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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
Sunday, 16 June 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Short Course
Houston, Texas
Sunday, 16 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
Sunday, 16 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)
Online e-Symposium
Thursday, 3 June 2010, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to describe faults and fractures in carbonates, black shales, and coarser clastics as they occur in the northern Appalachian Basin.

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)
Online e-Symposium
Thursday, 9 February 2012, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Projects in several shales will be discussed, including Marcellus, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, Fayetteville, Montney, and Barnett, as will several seismically-detectable drivers for success including lithofacies, stress, pre-existing fractures, and pore pressure.

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, 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)
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.

Who Is My Delegate?

NOTE: Membership in an affiliated society does not necessarily constitute membership in the AAPG and vice versa.

Learn more about affiliated societies of the AAPG

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