Home

Mid-Continent Section

Explorer Emphasis Article By David Brown

Clean Energy Opportunity Adds to Super Basins Appeal

Energy super basins grabbed the attention of the oil and gas industry during the past five years, with good reason. Now a period of re-evaluation has kicked in. Producers are looking beyond total resource potential to apply other criteria, including economic, environmental and regulatory considerations. Those yardsticks could help identify which basins will dominate energy production in the decades ahead.

Added on 01 February, 2023

Explorer Article By David Brown

Energy Investment in 2023 Tracks with Transition

Large institutions and asset managers are diversifying away from traditional oil and gas projects, sometimes driven by climate concerns, but their investments haven’t fallen far afield. Those organizations think in terms of billions of dollars when evaluating a potential investment sector. And so far, they haven’t hesitated to invest in energy. What has changed, and what keeps changing, is where they put those investment dollars. It’s an energy-investment transition that parallels today’s ongoing energy transition.

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 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

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

Learn! Blog By Susan Nash

A Powerful, New Well Viewer Database

Being able to use well data for multiple uses such as oil and gas exploration, energy storage, geothermal resource identification, and critical minerals exploration is only possible if the data itself is available in a flexible format. Welcome to an interview with Richard Tarver, of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, who describes the powerful new OGS Well Viewer application, which has the potential to transform the way that Oklahoma’s energy data can be viewed and analyzed.

Added on 11 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 Article By David Brown

Does This Finally Settle the Age-Old Debate over Abiotic Methane?

This debate began decades ago: How much of the planet's natural gas is abiotic – made up of methane with nonbiological origins? At times, the scientific back-and-forth argument has resembled a slow-motion tennis match, with a new volley coming every few years. Now, Daniel Xia thinks he has helped deliver a winning smash across the net. His findings were most clearly laid out in a recent article “Validity of geochemical signatures of abiotic hydrocarbon gases on Earth,” by Xia and coauthor Yongli Gao, published in the Journal of the Geological Society.

Added on 01 October, 2022

Explorer Article By Heather Saucier

Exploration and Geoscience Opportunities Abound in the Energy Transition

Embracing the exploration spirit so often embodied in the annual Halbouty Lecture, Cindy Yeilding, retired senior vice president of BP America, rallied and encouraged her audience at the August 2022 IMAGE conference to repurpose their geoscience knowledge and skillsets for the energy transition. As the world searches for viable ways to decarbonize, it will not be uncommon to hear people say, “That technology will never work at scale, or it might work but it’s never going to make any money,” Yeilding said. “Those are all parts of the energy transition conversation, which tells us that using our exploration mindset is right for new exploration opportunities.”

Added on 01 October, 2022

Explorer Emphasis Article By David Brown

Geophysics Industry Shrinks as Tech Advances

Consider the geophysics sector of the industry a shrink-to-fit enterprise where misery might be starting to bring its own relief, and business is improving after recent years of financial ups and downs. With, admittedly, more downs than ups. Higher oil and gas prices this year have brought either a spark of enthusiasm or a glimmer of hope to many geophysical companies. And the technical side of geophysics has continued to advance strongly despite the business challenges.

Added on 01 October, 2022

Workshop

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tuesday, 18 February – Wednesday, 19 February 2025, 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

AAPG Orphan, Abandoned, Idle, and Marginal Wells Conference

Join us for AAPG Orphan, Abandoned, Idle and Marginal Wells Conference 2025. This workshop will focus on orphan, abandoned, idle, and marginal wells and the business opportunities and technology associated with plugging and repurposing wells, reducing methane emissions, protecting water supplies, and extending the lives of marginal wells.

Added on 16 October, 2024

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

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 9 June 2021, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

The New Way to Work

Join us for 'Pivoting 2021: The New Way to Work'. Panelists will discuss the way that work is done, both in operations and support roles, and discuss specific examples of technologies being used, and how they contribute to a safer, more efficient and profitable endeavor. Webinar will be presented via Zoom 7pm - 8:30pm CDT, 9 June 2021.

Added on 03 June, 2020

Webinar By Amy Henry,David Tonner,Larry R. Davis,Matt Bell,Susan Nash

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 20 May 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Pivoting Week 3: New Revenue and Diversification Strategies

Join us for 'Matching Capabilities and Capacity With Current and Emerging Demand Areas; Building a Business Plan That Reflects the Realities of Opportunities'. Webinar will be presented via Zoom 7pm - 8:30pm CDT, 20 May 2020. During this webinar we will discuss: Matching technologies and companies Keys to Building a Resilient Early-Stage Business Multi-Industry Technology: Robotics as a Service

Added on 17 June, 2020

Webinar

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 26 August 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Week 17 Pivoting – Critical Minerals and Next Generation Batteries, Part II

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.

Added on 19 August, 2020

Webinar

Virtual Webinar

Thursday, 22 April 2021, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.

Travel to Mars on Earth Day, April 22!

Join Mars astrogeologists Dr. Kirsten Siebach (Rice University), Dr. Michael Thorpe (NASA) for a tour of their favorite outcrops on Mars, along with a discussion of the geology of Mars, and the findings from the Perseverance and Curiosity missions.

Added on 20 April, 2021

Webinar By Brian Meier,Deepak Atyam,Haibin Xu,Larry R. Davis,Sean Ebert,Susan Nash

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 27 May 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Pivoting Week 4: New Approaches for Start-Up Success

Join us for 'New Approaches for Start-Up Success' where we will discuss selecting companies to invest in now, the game changers program now, profile of a successful drone and robotics start-up and how we adapted our pitch for the pandemic. Webinar will be presented via Zoom 7pm - 8:30pm CDT, 27 May 2020.

Added on 17 June, 2020

Webinar

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 9 March 2022, 8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.

Expanding the Application of Subsurface DNA Diagnostics into Integrated Petroleum Systems Analysis for Deeper Insights

Join the Petroleum Systems Technical Interest Group (TIG) for the next session of the AAPG Petroleum Systems Webinar Series, Expanding the Application of Subsurface DNA Diagnostics into Integrated Petroleum Systems Analysis for Deeper Insights, on Wednesday, 9 March 2022, 8:00 AM (CST).

Added on 22 February, 2022

Webinar By Cynthia Dacre,Edith Newton Wilson,Larry R. Davis,Miriam Winsten,Nora Toure,Susan Nash

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 22 July 2020, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Pivoting Week 12: Sustainable Solutions for the Energy Transition

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.

Added on 15 June, 2020

Online e-Symposium

Tuesday, 9 September 2014, 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.

Fluid Migration and Accumulation within the Mississippian: Why 2% Oil Cut Here, 15% One Mile Away?

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.

Added on 20 June, 2014

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

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 26 May 2021, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Imaging Technologies

Join us for 'Pivoting 2021: Imaging Technologies'. Panelists will discuss new ways to acquire data that is then processed into interpretable images, and they will discuss the technologies as well as the techniques. Webinar will be presented via Zoom 7pm - 8:30pm CDT, 26 May 2021.

Added on 03 June, 2020

Webinar By Andy Pepper

Virtual Webinar

Wednesday, 12 January 2022, 8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.

Seven Principles that hold back Geologists from Discovery Thinking: Seven Habits of the Effective Petroleum Systems Analyst

Using global examples and based on 40 years’ experience in mainstream geology and in Petroleum Systems Analysis, Andrew Pepper will discuss how re-thinking some of our paradigms can open up our minds to new Discovery Thinking in any old or new basin.

Added on 04 January, 2022

View All Online Training ...

Nathan Alan Randolph President (2023-2025) Pablo Energy II, LLC (806) 350-3493

Jamie Ann Woolsey Past President (2023-2025) PQ GeoConsulting (479) 650-5067

John A. Brett, III Vice President (2023-2025) Brett Exploration, LLC (405) 620-3000

Tara Lynn Benda Secretary (2023-2025) Equus Energy Partners (918) 513-1854

Molly Turko Treasurer (2023-2025) Devon Energy (405) 596-2847

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.

Mid-Continent Section

States in the Section

Sections

Regions

STAY CONNECTED: