Explorer Article
By Heather Saucier
Refineries are some of the largest carbon emitters in the world, and making them greener is no simple task. Yet, an effort to do so is taking place in West Texas in the heart of the Permian Basin. Here, two operators have received state permits to build small, modular refineries to process the light, sweet crude from shale formations with emissions that are roughly 95-percent lower than those from the average Gulf Coast refinery. Taking advantage of their location – where oil is produced and its finished products are needed – these operators have capitalized on the opportunity to build their own refineries from scratch, complete with carbon capture technology, and become some of the cleanest refineries in the country.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 01 February, 2023
Explorer Emphasis Article
By Doug Cook
Human exploration of the Earth and our universe is pushing ever-expanding boundaries. Along with renewed exploration of the moon and ongoing exploration of Mars, we have also probed the outer reaches of the solar system, and beyond. Beginning in 1972, NASA has executed many successful missions to the outer solar system that have exponentially increased our knowledge of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and their myriad of intriguing moons, such as Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1 and 2, Galileo, Cassini, New Horizons and Juno. These missions have also kindled questions that we did not even know to ask a few decades ago.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 01 December, 2022
Explorer Director’s Corner
By David Curtiss
Mapping the collapse of globalization. Seriously, that’s the subject of the book you’ve been reading?” I had a chance to connect with Vaughn Thompson, long-time friend and past president of the AAPG Pacific Section, at IMAGE’22. We have known each other since I was a youngish professional and he a graduate student at the University of Utah. And every time we catch up, one of us asks the question: What have you been reading lately? Vaughn’s recommendation to me this time was Peter Zeihan’s new book, “The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 01 October, 2022
Explorer Historical Highlights
By Tom Chidsey
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.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 01 October, 2022
Explorer Article
By Barry Friedman
“We’re probably at least 10 times larger. I mean, it just dwarfs any other project in North America.” That’s Vincent Ramirez, CEO of 3PL Operating, Inc., talking about a large and valuable lithium discovery his company has made in Railroad Valley, Nev. As lithium will play a vital role in the world’s changing energy landscape, generally, and because much of the known lithium deposits are in Chile, Australia, Argentina and China, specifically, 3PL’s find in central Nevada is potentially a very big deal.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 01 October, 2022
Explorer Article
By Ken Milam
Depleted horizontal oil and gas wells could have a second life storing renewable energy, according to researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Because renewable forms of electricity generation like solar and wind require low-cost energy storage, the NREL researchers propose using depleted hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells to store electrical energy in the form of compressed natural gas to be released to spin an expander/generator when electrical demand is high.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 01 September, 2022
Explorer Division Column DPA
By Andrea Reynolds
Hello Division of Professional Affairs and AAPG members, I’d like to welcome you to the first DPA column in my term as DPA president 2022-23. As I begin this appointment, I’ve been reflecting on the events of recent years and considering the challenges and changes we’ve faced through the pandemic – personally and professionally, as an industry and as members of a global community.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 01 July, 2022
Learn! Blog
By Susan Nash
Helium and natural gas are hitting record high prices, triggered in part by a severe shortage caused by recent events. In some parts of the world, helium is associated with natural gas. Welcome to an interview with Steve Tedesco, Ph.D., who provides insights into the current situation and opportunities based on his more than 40 years of experience.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 23 June, 2022
Explorer Regions and Sections
By Linda Sternbach
Many geologists have earned their field trip stripes in the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas, but fewer have heard – and braved the dangers – of hiking the mysterious and mineral-rich Franklin Mountains north of El Paso. The Franklin Mountain region is a west-tilting series of horst blocks that became 5,000-7,200-foot tall mountains as a result of the Laramide orogeny. The sheer eastern escarpment exposes rocks dating from the Pennsylvanian down to 1.25-billion-year-old basement granite. It was a “field trip through time” focused on the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian formations, representing more than 100 million years of geologic history.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 01 June, 2022
Explorer Regions and Sections
By Linda Sternbach
The AAPG Southwest Section Convention explored a four-dimensional multiverse of geology and reservoirs, combining regional overviews with multi-scale measurements of rocks and sediments, and analyzing rocks in the fourth dimension of geologic time. The result is “Resology,” which general chair Ben Davis defines as “the study of geology and rock reservoirs at big and small scales.” He told conference attendees, “The goal of Resology is effective and efficient hydrocarbon production.”
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Added on 01 June, 2022