Just when you thought Taco Tuesdays couldn’t get much better, you’ll get to start your day with me in your inbox, giving you the geoscience spin on relevant technology and innovation stories. It’s my hope that this newsletter will inform and inspire you, and maybe even improve your workflows, so please let me know what you’d like to read by replying to this newsletter with your thoughts and feedback. You can also reach out to me directly at editorial@aapg.org.
Thank you for joining us, and I look forward to getting to know you in the coming weeks and months. Now, let's start this off with a bang...
Sarah Compton
Editor, Enspired
Explosion or Earthquake? New Improvements Increase Seismic Certainty
Seismology and explosions have a longstanding, closely intertwined history. Now, two new technologies are paving the way forward in differentiating between earthquakes and explosions.
Historic Connections:
Twenty years after initial nuclear bomb testing, the DARPA-funded World-Wide Standardized Seismograph Network was built to discover underground nuclear tests.
Psychoacoustic scientist Sheridan Speeth discovered that listening to seismic data improved the difficulty encountered when trying to differentiate nuclear tests from earthquakes, but he was ignored, and results continued to be subpar.
What’s new: Elliptical symmetry and AI are helping scientists and energy professionals more accurately detect earthquakes and fault movement.
New tech no. 1: Developers of a new method that uses elliptical symmetry claim it can accurately differentiate between an earthquake and an explosion 99 percent of the time.
Improved method:
Existing differentiation methods use spherically symmetric metrics to determine if a new moment tensor could be an explosion.
Populations of both explosions and earthquakes are anisotropically distributed on the hyposphere however, so elliptically symmetric distribution functions are more appropriate.
The new method also goes beyond simple yes/no classification and provides a probability metric.
New tech no. 2: Chevron has teamed up with Eliis to develop and commercialize AI algos to improve geophysics workflows.
Features: Improvements to seismic interpretation, subsurface characterization, and modeling include automated fault detection.
Where the buck stops: The tech is not viewed as an end-product, but as being integrated into a wider workflow to improve efficiencies. Geoscientists will remain in control throughout the interpretation.
This webinar will explore the technological intricacies of analyzing crustal structure, tectonostratigraphy, and hydrocarbon potential in the deepwater continent-ocean transition zones of both volcanic and non-volcanic rifted-passive margins.
These margins, characterized by extensive deepwater sedimentary deposits, are home to approximately two-thirds of the world's giant oil and gas discoveries.
Featured speaker: Paul Mann, Professor of Geology, Tectonics, and Petroleum Geology at the University of Houston
Featured tech: The surge in subsurface studies of rifted-passive margins globally can be attributed to advancements in geophysical imaging techniques and increased academic and industrial drilling activities.
Dive deeper:Register now to explore the final frontier of deepwater exploration with AAPG Academy on 9 April at 12pm CDT.
The Tech Behind the USA’s Record Production in 2023
Despite a 69 percent decrease in active rigs since 2014 and reduced headcount, U.S. producers churned out more crude oil last year than any country has—ever.
New record: The USA pumped an impressive 13.3 million barrels per day in December 2023.We broke our own record, and there’s no sign that anyone else except us will be beating it anytime soon.
Red and white ribbons: Russia came in second in 2023 at 10.1 million b/d, and the Saudis were third at 9.7 million b/d.
Behind the boom: Technology and innovation played a huge role in the improved output, but geography and policy also helped.
Geographic happenstance: Some of our best rocks lay under private land. Private land means “no touchy” for federal regulators.
Unconventional drilling tech: Horizontal wells are the knockout here. Not only do they have higher IPs than verticals, but their legacy production is better maintained.
Digging further: Increased lateral length has improved total output from horizontal wells, but the formula for consistent improvement on a per foot basis remains elusive. As virgin acreage decreases and the percent of infills increase, the tools to discover and execute best practices must continue to evolve.
Why it matters:
Despite numerous challenges from nearly every facet imaginable, the U.S. petroleum industry continues to embody the grit and spirit of those who work in it, like us geoscientists, and provide the critical energy needed for our way of life.
The need for geologic expertise is growing more acute, as understanding of rocks and reservoir dynamics are key to driving efficiencies that will maximize production.
Dive deeper: Read the full report from The Telegraph here.
Cross Pollination isn’t Just for Bees
Sometimes to innovate, we need to pull inspiration from fields outside our own. During an interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Neil Degrasse Tyson explained how technologies that were originally created as solutions to NASA’s problems now address issues in everyday, Earthly life.
Here are some examples:
Cordless power tools: These were built so astronauts could work in space without an outlet. Now, you won’t find a construction site—or likely a home garage—without them.
Temper foam: This was designed to create better crash protection for space shuttles, and as someone with a memory foam mattress, I can attest that it is the best thing to crash on.
Not so frivolous: Tyson emphasized that these solutions could have eventually come about on their own—but they didn’t. They arrived by solving problems so we could achieve “frivolous” space travel.
This line of thinking can be applied to O&G exploration efforts, too.
Industry examples: Pemex was hunting for oil off the Yucatan peninsula in 1978, when a young geophysicist named Glen Penfield, hot off his undergraduate work mapping the Atitlán volcanoes, was working with the data.
His well-honed volcanologist Spidey senses tingled when he noticed what appeared to be a bullseye shape labeled “Merida Volcanics.” His knowledge of volcanic craters led him to a different interpretation that was dismissed—the start to all disaster movies, ignore the scientists.
Persistence pays off: It took nearly 15 years, and a different graduate student’s prodding, before the discovery of Chicxulub was published. He had found the “missing” crater from the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.
Take that: The team named the crater after a nearby town, but part of the motivation was to give naysayers at NASA a challenging time pronouncing it. Success was achieved: nearly everyone has a hard time.
A second look: The crater was not unknown. It was incorrectly identified and even NASA scientists codified this.
Penfield was just 26 when he made his initial discovery. His background in volcanic mapping played a key role here: he was proud that his groundbreaking discovery was developed using new and old data interpreted with a No. 2 pencil, a calculator, and a fresh set of eyes trained in a different specialty.
Key takeaways: Sometimes it’s what you think you know for certain that will do you in. This is why we, as geoscientists, must continue to work prospects up, even if we’re looking at something that’s already “known.” You don’t always need the latest and greatest tools, but a fresh perspective can go a long way.
Dive deeper: Watch Rogan’s full podcast with Tyson here.
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