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Explorer Foundation Update By Vern Stefanic

AAPG Foundation, Boy Scouts Connect Young People to Geology

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.

Added on 28 February, 2024

Explorer Historical Highlights By William Brice

Twists of Fate in the Early Oil Fields

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.

Added on 01 October, 2023

Explorer Article By Barry Friedman

Alaska’s North Slope Holds ‘Incredible’ Promise, and Controversy

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.”

Added on 01 May, 2023

Explorer Historical Highlights By Dan Plazak

When Doodlebugs Ruled the Earth

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.

Added on 01 February, 2023

Explorer Division Column DEG By Hannes Leetaru

Orphaned Wells Present Continuing Problem, Opportunity for Geoscientists

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.

Added on 01 December, 2022

Explorer Article By Craig Eckert

Rocks, Roots and Rattlesnakes

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.

Added on 01 November, 2022

Explorer Article By Barry Friedman

‘It Takes a Professional Society’

“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.”

Added on 01 November, 2022

Learn! Blog By Susan Nash

Creating Modern Petroglyphs

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.

Added on 25 October, 2022

Explorer President’s Column By Steven Goolsby

Are Face-to-Face Meetings the New Normal Again?

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.

Added on 01 October, 2022

Explorer Division Column DEG By Hannes Leetaru

Energy Storage is a Crucial Focus of 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.

Added on 01 September, 2022

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 9 February 2012, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Seismic Reservoir Characterization of U.S. Shales: An Update

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.

Added on 11 December, 2013

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 20 August 2009, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Geothermal Energy in the Oil Field: Developments and Opportunities

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

Added on 02 December, 2013

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 12 July 2012, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Shale Wells: Making the Engineering Fit What Geology Offers

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.

Added on 11 December, 2013

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 28 July 2011, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Marcellus Shale: Integrating Information to Optimize Horizontal Well Performance

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

Added on 02 December, 2013

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 3 June 2010, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Marcellus & Utica in the Field: Northern Appalachian Basin

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.

Added on 02 December, 2013

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Autumn Haagsma President (2023-2024) Michigan Geological Survey (269) 387-8696

Ian Alan Thomas Past President (2023-2024) Olympus Energy 713-203-3871

Valerie Feller Vice President (2023-2024) Indiana Geological and Water Survey 812-855-1335

Donna Caraway Willette Secretary (2023-2024) Illinois State Geological Survey (217) 244-0116

Ashley S.B. Douds Treasurer (2023-2025) IGWS (412) 216-2665

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

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