Explorer Article

It’s good to be reminded of this one simple industry fact: “As a rule, geologists love to get out in the field to see classic and interesting outcrops that provide a better understanding of depositional facies, hydrocarbon reservoir systems, and anything related to geology.” That’s AAPG member Mark Longman, this year’s field trip chair for the upcoming AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, set May 31-June 3 in Denver.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

The Upper Jurassic Smackover formation in northern Louisiana and surrounding states has been explored and drilled for decades, but has only recently seen the sophisticated approach needed to decipher its challenging geology.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

Access to modern 3-D seismic data is critical to educating the next generation of sedimentologists, stratigraphers, structural geologists and geophysicists who envision a career in the petroleum industry.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. But AAPG member Tom Marshall – a geologist who moved to Alaska in his early 30s, enamored by the idea of homesteading in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley – managed to change the future of the entire state with a suggestion that sounded as promising as a dry hole.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

At a time when some operators are slowing production of unconventional resources, and as oil and gas prices continue to fall, three companies have high hopes for producing shale oil north of the Arctic Circle for the first time in petroleum history.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

The call for abstracts deadline is Jan. 15 for the next AAPG International Conference and Exhibition – a meeting that will be historic on many levels. This year’s ICE will be held Sept. 13-16 in Melbourne, Australia – the first time AAPG has used that city as a setting for ICE.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

The call for abstracts is open for the next AAPG International Conference and Exhibition – a meeting that will be historic on many levels. The 2015 ICE will be held Sept. 13-16 in the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia– the first time ever AAPG has used that city as a setting for ICE. The meeting will be hosted by the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Like numerous other geologic formations, the allure of the Wilcox has waxed and waned owing to fluctuating commodity prices, among other issues. As hydrocarbon prices recovered and technology applications like hydraulic fracturing became commonplace, the Wilcox beckoned anew, attracting principally the mom-and-pop shops and the small to mid-size independents.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Policy Watch

In the age of 3-D seismic and digitized well logs, the value of cores and other rock samples may not be obvious. But benefits like those noted by the AAPG in 1948 and described in a 2002 National Research Council report and a recent congressional hearing continue to demonstrate the value of properly archived subsurface samples and data.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

At first glance it seems there’s not much overtly new about drilling in the Mississippi Lime – or overtly new about the Mississippi Lime play, either, for that matter – a play that oozes from northern Oklahoma through southern Kansas (and some say, perhaps, to Nebraska).

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Hot Items

Explorer Director’s Corner

Perhaps you did a double take pulling the April issue of EXPLORER from the mailbox. What is this? If you joined AAPG in the last 40 years, you’ve only known EXPLORER in its long-standing tabloid format. It worked well for many years as our advertisers – particularly seismic companies – loved the large format and the ability to display their data on a sweeping canvas. For readers, it was a little more awkward.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

A new type of buoyancy model can be used to understand the source of residual oil zones, both thick and thin, to help determine the likelihood that economically viable recoverable oil resides in transition zones of imbibition reservoirs. Application of a buoyancy and breech model will fill a void in reservoir characterization. It will help distinguish between TZs and ROZs, the first of which allows application of primary and secondary (waterflooding) oil recovery methods and the second of which requires more difficult CO2-enhanced oil recovery projects.

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

It isn’t news to anyone that prediction is difficult, especially when it’s the future (as a great man once said). Uncertainty and unpredictability are just a part of the job of tracking and predicting the future supply and demand of energy. That being the case, when energy analysts say that the current level of uncertainty is particularly high, it might be easy to dismiss it as a “dog bites man” story. It isn’t.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Historical Highlights

The Casablanca oil field, discovered in 1975 and located on the Mediterranean shelf edge, has been greatly significant in the world’s offshore oil industry activity, besides being by far the biggest oil field in Spain.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

Advancements in processing and imaging techniques have continued over the last several decades, which have gradually improved the quality of the processed surface seismic data. When the quality of the existing seismic data is not adequate to perform an interpretation task reasonably, then the interpreter looks for other options. Is it feasible to acquire a new survey? In the absence of an improved survey, will reprocessing of seismic data be a good option?

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American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Headquarters Contacts

Susan Nash
Susan Nash Director, Innovation and Emerging Science and Technology, AAPG +1 405 314 7730