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Explorer Emphasis Article By Doug Cook

Exploring for Signs of Life in the Outer Solar System

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.

Added on 01 December, 2022

Explorer Emphasis Article By David Brown

Apollo to Artemis: An Epic of 50 Years

In December 1972, geoscientist Harrison Schmitt traveled more than a quarter-million miles, dropped 8.7 nautical miles out of lunar orbit and took a stroll on the moon. That was 50 years ago, and today, with Artemis, NASA envisions a multistage program to return humans to the moon and eventually create a sustainable manned lunar habitat. In Greek mythology, Artemis was a moon goddess and twin sister of Apollo. The Artemis I Space Launch System rocket launched on Nov. 16.

Added on 01 December, 2022

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 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 Emily Llinás

Support Continues for Ukrainian Geologist Refugees

The war between Russia and Ukraine has seen several phases since the initial invasion in February. A series of advances by the Ukraine armed forces in the Eastern part of the country in early September created the impression that the conflict might be near an end. Russian annexation of four provinces at the end of the month convinced others that the war is far from over. What is not debatable, however, are the devastating effects that the war continues to have, particularly on Ukrainian refugees who fled hundreds or thousands of miles to escape the turmoil and seek safety for themselves and their families. This is the second in a two-part series about Ukrainian geologist refugees who fled their homeland and received assistance from colleagues living around the world, which shares the stories of other geoscientists who benefitted greatly from the funding but still struggle to find stability after having their world turned upside-down.

Added on 01 November, 2022

Explorer Article By Doug Cook

NASA’s Mission to Divert an Asteroid

A 15-kilometer-wide asteroid hit the planet 66 million years ago, ending the Cretaceous Period. It wiped out 99 percent of all life and 75 percent of all species of life on Earth. If we were to discover another such a threat coming from space today, what could we do about it? NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test launched Nov. 24, 2021 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The DART spacecraft was built and is operated by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory under NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.

Added on 01 November, 2022

Explorer Emphasis Article By Emily Llinás

The Role of Hydrogen in Latin America’s Energy Transition

Natural disasters worldwide, public debate, policy decisions and shareholder pressure are just some of the factors motivating companies to seek alternatives to traditional oil and gas to fuel the ever-increasing demand for energy worldwide. One of those alternatives is hydrogen – a renewable energy source that proponents believe brings a wealth of opportunities and challenges. Argentina’s national energy company YPF is one such proponent. They are considering using natural gas from the massive Vaca Muerta play to produce “blue hydrogen,” which is produced by combining natural gas and steam.

Added on 01 November, 2022

Explorer Emphasis Article By David Brown

Climate-Minded Future: More Forests, Fewer Burgers

If the world had a comprehensive plan to address climate change, what would it look like? That’s an important question, even a crucial question for industry and businesses globally, especially the energy industry. Companies need to plan for significant climate-related action coming in the years and decades ahead. “The world does have a climate plan – or rather, a lot of plans. There’s a ton of economic and climate models that have been done around various pathways,” said Derek Pankratz, senior research manager with the Center for Integrated Research in Deloitte Services LP.

Added on 01 November, 2022

Learn! Blog By Susan Nash

Interview with Brad Gray, Diversified Energy

Growth through strategic acquisition and the disciplined and responsible stewardship of oil and gas assets, coupled with a pro-active plan to clean up orphaned wells is a unique business strategy which Diversified Energy has adopted, starting with Appalachia and then moving to the Midcontinent and beyond. Welcome to an interview with Brad Gray, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with Diversified Energy.

Added on 18 October, 2022

Online e-Symposium

Tuesday, 2 December 2014, 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.

Multiscale Modeling of Gas Transport and Storage In Shale Resources

The gas transport in organic-rich shales involves different length-scales, from organic and inorganic pores to macro- and macrofractures. In order to upscale the fluid transport from nanoscale (flow through nanopores) to larger scales (to micro- and macrofractures), multicontinuum methodology is planned to be used.

Added on 08 September, 2014

Webinar By Arash Nazhad,Larry R. Davis,Sudhir Pai,Sunil Garg,Susan Nash

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 3 June 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Pivoting Week 5: Analytics-Based Opportunites

Join us for 'Analytics-Based Opportunities in Double Black Swan Times' where we will discuss the steps companies are taking, business considerations in cross-industry analytics -start-ups to majors, analytics agility in a double black swan world, enabling the workforce to utilize and exploit data remotely using the cloud and machine learning. Webinar will be presented via Zoom 7pm - 8:30pm CDT, 3 June 2020.

Added on 03 June, 2020

Webinar By Alexander Rozenfeld,John Hofmeister,Larry R. Davis

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 17 June 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Pivoting Week 7: Opportunties with Sustainability

Join us for 'Sustainability-Focused Opportunities'. A webinar to explore investment trends, new opportunities, and strategies for pivoting for new revenue and diversification in today's times. Webinar will be presented via Zoom 7:00pm - 8:30pm CDT 17 June 2020.

Added on 15 June, 2020

Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 24 October 2013, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Geomechanical Data from Petrophysical Logs

This e-symposium will be introducing signal processing techniques as a means to maximize extracting geomechanical data from petrophysical logs.

Added on 11 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

Webinar By Tiago Alves

Virtual Webinar

Thursday, 10 September 2020, 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

Oil and Gas Fields of the 22nd Century: The Quest for Economic and Environmental Sustainability on Continental Margins

Economic oil and gas fields have been increasingly found in deep-water continental margins for the past decade, where potential prospects record the key tectonic events associated with plate breakup and continental drift. In these regions, the exploitation of economic resources must take into account sustainable practices and environmental concerns of local populations. This talk will present case studies from multiple continental margins to then extrapolate major findings to basins in SE Asia.

Added on 06 August, 2020

Online e-Symposium

Virtual Online e-Symposium

Thursday, 19 November 2009, 12:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Carbon Sequestration

This presentation will review the results of ongoing carbon storage research in Kentucky by the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) and industry partners.

Added on 02 December, 2013

Webinar By Chris Jackson

Virtual Webinar

Thursday, 4 June 2020, 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

When Salt Disappears: Why Should We Care About Welds?

Salt welds form due to salt thinning by mechanical (e.g., salt-flow) and/or chemical (e.g., salt-dissolution) processes. This webinar explores how we use 3-D seismic reflection, borehole, and biostratigraphic data to constrain the thickness and composition of salt welds, and to test the predictions of analytical models for salt welding.

Added on 24 June, 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

Webinar By Irewole Ayodele

Virtual Webinar

Thursday, 26 November 2020, 5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

Merger and Acquisition Due Diligence Process of Oil & Gas Assets: The Role of Geoscientists

Irewole Ayodele discusses the role of Geosciences when evaluating reservoir assets for mergers and acquisitions. In this presentation, Irewole Ayodele will provide a broad overview of M&A initiation and due diligence in the oil and gas industry. Then more details will be provided on the role of geoscientists in conducting due diligence on oil & gas assets. The lecture will use a few case studies showing what kinds of red flags and pitfalls acquirers should be able to spot, mitigate or avoid for a successful M&A valuation process. Webinar presented via Zoom on 26 November at 5PM Dubai time.

Added on 09 November, 2020

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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

DL Abstract By John Castagna

Beyond Physics in Geophysics

Physics is an essential component of geophysics but there is much that physics cannot know or address.

Request a visit from John Castagna!

Added on 14 September, 2023

VG Abstract By Juan I. Soto

How Orogens Could Collapse Forming Sedimentary Basins: The Case of the Betic-Rif Orogen

The Betic hinterland, in the westernmost Mediterranean, constitutes a unique example of a stack of metamorphic units. Using a three-dimensional model for the crustal structure of the Betics-Rif area this talk will address the role of crustal flow simultaneously to upper-crustal low-angle faulting in the origin and evolution of the topography.

Request a visit from Juan I. Soto!

Added on 26 June, 2019

DL Abstract By Isabelle Moretti

The Natural H₂ Exploration Started: Why, Where and by Who?

Why H₂ is generated in subsurface? Which are the reactions and the promising geological setting? Example in countries where H₂ have already been found: Australia, Brazil. Kinetic reactions: i.e., Is the natural H₂ renewable? What we don't know yet about this resource and about the H₂ systems (generation/transport/accumulation). Overview of the current landscape (subsurface law, permitting, E&P activity)

Request a visit from Isabelle Moretti!

Added on 13 September, 2023

DL Abstract By Alex Simms

Interactions Between Ice Sheets and Relative Sea Levels: Lessons From Antarctica and NW Scotland

Local sea-level changes are not simply a function of global ocean volumes but also the interactions between the solid Earth, the Earth’s gravitational field and the loading and unloading of ice sheets. Contrasting behaviors between Antarctica and Scotland highlight how important the geologic structure beneath the former ice sheets is in determining the interactions between ice sheets and relative sea levels.

Request a visit from Alex Simms!

Added on 21 July, 2022

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

DL Abstract By Kurt W. Rudolph

The Assembly of Pangea, a View from Laurentia: Paleozoic Orogenies and their Impact on Basin Evolution and Petroleum Systems

Paleozoic North America has experienced multiple mountain building events, from Ordovician to Permian, on all margins of the continent. These have had a profound effect on the resulting complex basins and their associated petroleum systems. Subsequent uplift, erosion and overprinting of these ancient systems impedes the direct observation of their tectonic history. However, the basin sedimentary records are more complete, and provide additional insights into the timing and style of the mountain building events. In this study, we employ ~90 1D basin models, ~30 inverse flexural models, isopachs, and paleogeographic maps to better understand the Paleozoic history of North America.

Request a visit from Kurt W. Rudolph!

Added on 14 September, 2023

VG Abstract By Juan I. Soto

Salt versus Shales in Continental Margins and Orogens

In comparison with the known boundary conditions that promote salt deformation and flow in sedimentary basins, the processes involved with the mobilization of clay-rich detrital sediments are far less well established. This talk will use seismic examples in different tectonic settings to document the variety of shale geometries that can be formed under brittle and ductile deformations.

Request a visit from Juan I. Soto!

Added on 26 June, 2019

DL Abstract By Jacob Covault

Submarine-Channel Evolution From Seismic Stratigraphy & Numerical Models: Patterns and Predictions Revisited

Three-dimensional (3D) seismic-reflection surveys provide one of the most important data types for understanding subsurface depositional systems. Quantitative analysis is commonly restricted to geophysical interpretation of elastic properties of rocks in the subsurface. Wide availability of 3D seismic-reflection data and integration provide opportunities for quantitative analysis of subsurface stratigraphic sequences. Here, we integrate traditional seismic-stratigraphic interpretation with quantitative geomorphologic analysis and numerical modeling to explore new insights into submarine-channel evolution.

Request a visit from Jacob Covault!

Added on 20 July, 2022

DL Abstract By Shane Prochnow

Subsurface Machine Learning Approaches at Hydrocarbon Recovery and Resource Forecasting for Unconventional Reservoir Systems

This presentation is a survey of subsurface machine learning concepts that have been formulated for unconventional asset development, described in the literature, and subsequently patented. Operators that utilize similar subsurface machine learning workflows and other data modelling techniques enjoy a competitive advantage at optimizing the development of unconventional plays.

Request a visit from Shane Prochnow!

Added on 14 September, 2023

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