First Break March 2024 - Reservoir Monitoring by EAGE

Reservoir Monitoring

EAGE NEWS Association launches New energies in America event

INDUSTRY NEWS Norway announces APA 2023 winners

TECHNICAL ARTICLE Post-stack seismic inversion in Egypt’s Western Desert

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CHAIR EDITORIAL BOARD

Gwenola Michaud (gmichaud@gm-consult.it)

EDITOR

Damian Arnold (arnolddamian@googlemail.com)

MEMBERS, EDITORIAL BOARD

• Lodve Berre, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (lodve.berre@ntnu.no)

Philippe Caprioli, SLB (caprioli0@slb.com)

Satinder Chopra, SamiGeo (satinder.chopra@samigeo.com)

• Anthony Day, PGS (anthony.day@pgs.com)

• Peter Dromgoole, Retired Geophysicist (peterdromgoole@gmail.com)

• Kara English, University College Dublin (kara.english@ucd.ie)

• Stephen Hallinan, CGG (Stephen.Hallinan@CGG.com)

• Hamidreza Hamdi, University of Calgary (hhamdi@ucalgary.ca)

Clément Kostov, Freelance Geophysicist (cvkostov@icloud.com)

Martin Riviere, Retired Geophysicist (martinriviere@btinternet.com)

• Angelika-Maria Wulff, Consultant (gp.awulff@gmail.com)

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Andrew McBarnet (andrew@andrewmcbarnet.com)

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ISSN 0263-5046 (print) / ISSN 1365-2397 (online)

Technical Articles

31 Sand fairways delineation by post-stack seismic inversion and seismic wave form classification integration, Sitra Area, north Western Desert, Egypt Ahmed H. Hafeez, Ahmed S. Abu-El Ata, Ashraf E. Ghonimi, Amir M. Lala and Ali M. Bakr

39 Mapping and detection of small-scale magnetic anomalies with shipborne vector magnetometer measurements. Case studies in the coastal shallow waters of the Bay of Brest and Iroise Sea (France)

Jean-François Oehler, Guy Marquis, Verena Schifano, Hugo Reiller and Sylvain Lucas

Sp ecial Topic: Reservoir Monitoring

47 Monitoring CCS Projects: What is it going to take? Tom Davis

55 Full elastic imaging – Shenzi Field, deep-water Gulf of Mexico

Allon Bartana, Jeff Codd and David Kessler, Joakim Blanch, Drew Eddy, Ramses Meza, Varendra Rambaran and J. P. Blangy and Yi Huang

65 Opportunistic 4D using a regional non-repeated 4D monitor, an Ærfugl case study

D. Lecerf, S. Marinets, S. de Pierrepont, V. Zhelanov, A. Tantsereva, J. Oukili, R. Milne and A. Stav

71 Monitoring CO2 storage in the Morecambe depleted gas reservoirs through seafloor deformation and time-lapse gravimetry measurements

Filipe Borges, Helen Basford, Tom Calder, Martha Lien, Siri C. Vassvåg and Chris Ward

77 A distributed fibre-optic sensing monitoring platform for CCUS Michael Mondanos, Pierpaolo Marchesini, Anna Stork, Carlos Maldaner, Garth Naldrett, and Thomas Coleman

85 A novel geophysical method to monitor ultra-shallow reservoirs: mapping of soil moisture content in subsiding peatlands to forecast drought effects and CO2 emissions

Stefan Carpentier, Sjef Meekes, Arnoud Frumau, Manon Verberne, Thibault Candela and Kay Koster

93 Impact of effective pressure on acoustic impedance-velocity linear relationships: Ordovician Red River ‘C’ Zone reservoir, Williston Basin, USA Killian Ikwuakor

Special Feature

101 Minus CO2 Challenge 2023 – Student teams tackle load-balancing via compressed air and hydrogen storage in Carboniferous salt caverns: Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada Imad Smaini, Lucia Varela, Waithera Gakio, Vinicius Carneiro, Reem Al-Subaie, Helen Cen, Natasha MacAdam, Trevor Kelly, Fraser Keppie, Adam Macdonald, Maurice Dusseault, Grant Wach, Carla Skinner, Giancarlo Bernasconi, Antonia Hardwick, Karine Labatt, Roger Clark, Thomas Finkbeiner and Bill Richards

110 Calendar

European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers

Board 2023-2024

Near Surface Geoscience Circle

Esther Bloem Chair

Andreas Aspmo Pfaffhuber Vice-Chair

Micki Allen Contact Officer EEGS/North America

Adam Booth Committee Member

Hongzhu Cai Liaison China

Deyan Draganov Technical Programme Officer

Wolfram Gödde Liaison First Break

Hamdan Ali Hamdan Liaison Middle East

Vladimir Ignatev Liaison CIS / North America

Musa Manzi Liaison Africa

Myrto Papadopoulou Young Professional Liaison

Catherine Truffert Industry Liaison

Mark Vardy Editor in Chief Near Surface Geophysics

Florina Tuluca Committee member

Oil & Gas Geoscience Circle

Yohaney Gomez Galarza Chair

Johannes Wendebourg Vice-Chair

Lucy Slater Immediate Past Chair

Erica Angerer Member

Wiebke Athmer Member

Tijmen Jan Moser Editor-in-Chief Geophysical Prospecting

Adeline Parent WGE & DET SIC liaison

Matteo Ravasi YP Liaison

Jonathan Redfern Editor-in-Chief Petroleum Geoscience

Aart-Jan van Wijngaarden Technical Programme Officer

Sustainable Energy Circle

Carla Martín-Clavé Chair

Giovanni Sosio Vice-Chair

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GET 2024 in Rotterdam to feature four key energy themes

EAGE’s fifth Global Energy Transition Conference & Exhibition (GET 2024) in Rotterdam from 4-7 November is to break new ground with the introduction of four dedicated sub-conferences highlighting key challenges facing the world’s future energy sector.

These specialised forums will focus on Offshore Wind Energy, Carbon Capture and Storage, Geothermal Energy, and Hydrogen and Energy Storage providing a crucial platform for addressing major issues and opportunities presented by the global energy transition. Showcasing the crucial role of geoscience and engineering expertise, the conference is intended to serve as a pivotal gathering for professionals involved in renewables, minerals,

Why GET matters

and decarbonisation technologies. It is an opportunity to share knowledge and foster collaboration in the drive towards the sustainable energy development the world is looking for.

The call for abstracts for GET 2024 is now open, inviting contributions to any of the four dynamic sub-conferences. In the Offshore Wind Energy conference, we are looking for insights on applying geoscience in the offshore wind sector, particularly focusing on, but not limited to, the contribution of subsurface disciplines in the development of wind farms. The Carbon Capture and Storage segment welcomes discussions on the latest progress in storage resources, alongside innovative approaches in reservoir management and risk assess-

Message from Marcel van Loon, CEO, EAGE

Honoured guests, esteemed colleagues, and partners, I would like to welcome you to GET 2024 in Rotterdam with the ambition of shaping the future of energy.

A world as a better place for all is a mission that drives us to create a space where all professionals, geoscientists, and industry leaders can share their knowledge, accentuating the importance of sustainable energy sources and transitioning to low-carbon options.

As we strive to be a leading voice in the transition from oil and gas to green energy solutions, we recognise that this would

ment. The exploration and exploitation of Geothermal Energy, a field rich with potential, calls for insights into the variables influencing its success and sustainable growth. Complementing these, the rapidly advancing domain of Hydrogen and Energy Storage forum seeks contributions on the technological forefront of distributed renewable resources and the efficiency of energy storage systems.

Visit eageget.org for comprehensive information on the sub-conferences. Come join us for a rewarding experience in the vibrant city of Rotterdam on 4-7 November, where you can connect with peers, broaden your professional circle, and immerse yourself in the dynamic atmosphere of our event.

not be possible without you, our valued members. With your contributions, we will be connecting and sharing knowledge on key topics such as the use of innovative technologies, decarbonisation, renewables, and energy efficiency in support of climate action. We will also emphasise the contributions of subsurface professionals and their essential role in shaping the future of energy.

We aim to take this conference to the next level and make it a premier meeting space by expanding our programme and incorporating strategic and regulatory sessions. Besides informing you about advancements in the field, we want to give industries an opportunity to reach a vibrant audience.

On behalf of the entire team, we welcome you to enjoy this information-packed experience.

Focus on the results

The choice has never been clearer. Conventional processing and imaging can be a blur of time-consuming, subjective steps. DUG Multi-parameter FWI Imaging completely replaces the traditional workflow, delivering high-resolution reflectivity images for both structural and quantitative interpretation using field-data input. Focus on superior results, much sooner.

Data courtesy of AkerBP

Data courtesy of Seismic Partners and Geoex MCG

Nothing like learning at your own pace

The evolution of the digital age has transformed the education landscape, providing unprecedented access to knowledge and learning resources. It makes self-pace learning a much more realistic prospect.

EAGE’s Self-Paced Courses capitalise on the flexibility they offer to participants. Learners can access pre-recorded lectures, study materials, quizzes, and exercises at any time and from anywhere, enabling them to strike a balance between their professional commitments and educational aspirations.

EAGE’s mission to deliver high-quality content is evident in the diverse range of courses available. From fundamental concepts to advanced topics, the courses cater

to professionals at different stages of their careers. The latest addition, ‘Near surface modelling for static corrections’ by instructor Ralph Bridle, provides insights into some techniques essential for geoscientists and engineers.

Bridle says: ‘In this class we are concerned with calculating a time correction for seismic reflection surveys as used in mineral and hydrocarbon exploration. For calculating time corrections for seismic reflection surveys, we are not so much interested in an exact model to image the near surface. Rather, the objective is a time shift to correct near-surface travel times, in order to eliminate false time structures, thereby avoiding the possibility of dry wells.

The class will introduce the complexities of the near surface. Then it will describe the theories, assumptions, and shortcomings of some methods in modelling the near surface.’

EAGE Self-Paced Courses are crafted by industry experts and thought leaders, ensuring that participants receive instruction from the best in the field. For example, the ‘Carbonate reservoir characterization’ course by Dr Laura Galluccio offers a comprehensive exploration of one of the most challenging aspects of reservoir evaluation through the complexities of carbonate reservoirs with real-world examples and case studies.

Our courses are designed to be interactive, incorporating quizzes and exercises that allow participants to reinforce their understanding of the material. This handson approach ensures that learners acquire theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are immediately applicable in their professional endeavours.

In summary EAGE Self-Paced Courses herald a new era in geoscience and engineering education, providing professionals with the tools they need to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving industry.

& G. MICHAUD

12-14 MAR ROCK PHYSICS FOR QUANTITATIVE SEISMIC RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION INTERACTIVE

Experience the intersection of flexibility and education with our Self-Paced Courses: learn from anywhere, at your own schedule.

Geothermal energy prospects in Ukraine discussed at LC London meeting

With their first evening lecture of the year in January, the EAGE Local Chapter London looked beyond borders and asked Taras Popadynets and Yuliia Demchuk - two Board members from the NGO Geothermal Ukraine - to lead a webinar on ‘Harnessing geothermal energy from mature oil and gas fields in the western Ukraine’. Geothermal energy can indeed play a crucial role in enhancing Ukraine’s energy generation: the country could reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels and strengthen its energy security.

Yuliia Demchuk shared a general overview of the geothermal potential in Ukraine, the history of geothermal energy exploration in the region and types of geothermal energy sources that are available. She then provided a description of the 18 most prospective regions for geothermal development and their potential electrical power output. Three of them in particular - the Transcarpathian and Pre-Carpathian depression (West Ukraine), the Black Sea basin and Steppe Crimea (South) and Dnipro-Donetsk basin (East) which currently focus on oil and gas-bearinghave significant geothermal potential.

In the Transcarpathian depression, the geothermal gradient is 3.57–8.4°С/100 m and heat flow varies from 61.4 mW/m2 to 111-135 mW/m2. The temperature of underground water varies from 20 up to 70 C at the depth of 1 km and more than >150°C at the depth of 3 km. According to geological and geophysical data, at depths of up to 6 km, the temperature of rocks in the Transcarpathia region reaches 230–275ºС (an anomaly with a temperature of 210ºС was recorded at a depth of 4 km). The total national geothermal potential is estimated at 438*106 kWh/year and it is thought that geothermal energy production equivalent to 8,4 Mto is technically feasible and ccould save around 10 bcm of natural gas.

Taras Popadynets continued the presentation with an overview of the main models of using geothermal energy and opportunities for the oil and gas industry to repurpose abandoned and idle oil and gas wells into geothermal ones. 121 hydrocarbon fields were discovered in the Western

part of Ukraine, the vast majority of which were in the 1960-1980s and are still mature. There are about 5000 wells ranging from fully abandoned and plugged to orphan and idle. The existing fund of such wells makes it possible to consider this region for repurposing these wells into geothermal ones. This approach has not yet been implemented in Ukraine, so it is critically important to investigate feasibility, well screening criteria, inspections and rig logistics as well as global geothermal innovations.

The presentation was followed by a lively Q&A session and a recording will be available on the EAGE YouTube channel for those who missed the meeting. EAGE LC London acknowledges Yuliia Demchuk and Taras Papadyniets for sharing their expertise with the audience; Celina Giersz (Stryde), Lisl Lewis and Carrie Holloway (SLB) for hosting and moderating.

EAGE Ukraine Professional Development Fund

In addition to a special registration fee waiver programme, through which Ukrainian geoscientists and engineers are granted free access to EAGE conferences, workshops and courses, EAGE members continue to support their Ukrainian colleagues through a dedicated EAGE Ukraine Professional Development Fund.

All members can contribute to this initiative and every euro donated goes towards facilitating Ukrainian students and academic community, as well as professionals involved in career development activities aimed at Ukrainian students, such as mentoring, to attend the EAGE Annual Conference and other EAGE events.

Members who wish to make a donation, as well as Ukrainian colleagues who would like to take advantage of this programme, can read more at eagestudentfund.org or send a message to info@eagestudentfund.org.

Join us in making a difference! Your support can empower the next generation of geoscientists and engineers.

Winners of 2023 Vlastislav C ˘ ervený student competition announced

The Local Chapter EAGE Czech Republic last year organised the eleventh annual competition for the best Master and Bachelor thesis in theoretical and applied geophysics. Year 2023 was not only the most competitive and largest ever competition, it was also the first year dedicated to the memory of Prof Vlastislav Červený from Prague who passed away in 2022.

The renamed competition attracted a record number of submissions: seven Master and eight Bachelor theses from Polish, Czech, Hungarian and Swiss universities. All submitted works were excellent and the committee formed by representatives of Charles University and sponsors (main sponsor Gas Storage CZ, and sponsors Seismik, G Impuls Praha, Geophysical Institute of the Czech Academy of Science and EAGE PACE programme) were challenged when selecting the winners.

The MSc thesis category was won by Timothée Delcourt of ETH Zurich (advisor Prof Andrew Jackson, co-supervisor Dr Andreas Fichtner) with a submission entitled ‘Is there no free lunch in low dimensional parameter estimation?’. The commission commended the exhaustive approach to the evaluation of Bayesian methods applied to minimisation of rough multimodal functions, the innovative development of the likelihood-free algorithms, and not the least, the exceptional quality of presentation of the results.

The Batchelor thesis category was won by Patrick Pfammatter of ETH Zurich (advisor Dr Cedric Schmelzbach, additional supervisor Tjeerd Kiers) with his thesis on ‘Seismic tomography of an alpine landslide using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS)’. The judges commented on the highly the practical application of large dataset processing and new methods developed for DAS processing.

Additionally two honorary awards were presented to Barbora Marešová of Faculty of Science, Charles University for a Batchelor thesis on ‘Geophysical prospection of Early Medieval settlements’ (advisor Jan Valenta) appreciating her field work combined with application of geophysics to archaeology and to Zbyněk Fojt of Faculty of Science of Masaryk University for his MSc thesis on ‘Landslides near Semanín fault between Ústí nad Orlicí and Semanín’ noting the combination of extensive field work combined with detailed analysis of inputs, data processing and practical aspect of the work.

The prize money for the winners was CZK 25,000 (approximately €1000) and CZK 15,000 (approximately €600) for Masters and Bachelor categories, respectively. Both winners also received vouchers for EAGE online learning courses. Additionally, the winners and honorary awardees were accorded EAGE membership for 2024.

The goal of the competition is to encourage scientists from Central Europe to study and apply geophysics. Criteria for evaluation of submitted thesis are innovativeness, presentation of the results and applicability to industry. For more details see www.eagelc.cz. The year 2024 will bring another competition to be a nnounced.

Happy winner MSc student Timothée Delcourt of ETH Zurich with diploma being awarded by Gas Storage CZ representative Simona Hladíková.

Award ceremony at the Innogy Congress Centre of the main sponsor Gas Storage CZ, Prague, Czech Republic.

Kuwait workshop to discuss advances in carbonate reservoirs

Exploring and developing carbonate reservoirs is very challenging due to their heterogeneous nature, diagenesis and the variability in porosity and permeability. The First EAGE Workshop on Advances

in Carbonate Reservoirs from Prospects to Development taking place in Kuwait City from 23-25 April 2024 will focus on maximising the recovery from the existing mature fields and ensure the production sustainability. The programme will feature oral and poster presentations, keynote speeches, and core display.

Keynote speeches will include various topics including reducing risk in production, surface mud-logging, carbonate reservoir recovery, and natural gas pro-

Special offer available for active

members of student chapters

For those of you who are students, here is an exclusive offer you won’t want to miss. We are giving away 15 complimentary memberships for aspiring student leaders who establish or revitalise their EAGE Student Chapter. This initiative is designed to empower students and foster a deep-seated interest in the realm of geoscience and engineering which our community represents.

To take advantage of the 15 complimentary EAGE memberships offered by the EAGE Student Fund, the Student Chapter’s President must apply on https:// eage.org/students/establish-your-student-chapter/. Shortly after, a special code will be generated to be used by the rest of Students Chapter members on their own application.

If you are not part of an EAGE Student Chapter, don’t freit, as you can make the most of our first year complimentary

membership. This is exclusive for our first time EAGE Students up to the age of 29.

Some of the benefits of joining the EAGE Student Community: Networking Opportunities: Connect with industry professionals, peers, and renowned experts at EAGE events, fostering invaluable connections for your future career.

Access to latest research and innovation: Stay informed about the latest developments in geoscience and engineering through exclusive access to EAGE’s extensive database of research papers, articles, and publications.

Professional Development: Hone your skills and gain a competitive edge in the industry by participating in workshops, training sessions, and conferences organised by EAGE.

duction. The core display will show the Albian Mauddud Formation from Greater Burgan area in Kuwait to demonstrate the vertical trends in depositional facies within the stratigraphic sequence.

Register before 10 March with the early bird rate and join the discussions on this increasingly intriguing topic in the energy resource arena.

to attend conferences, broaden your knowledge and enhance your professional network.

Global Exposure: Engage with a diverse, global community, gaining insights into different cultures, practices, and perspectives within the field.

Financial Support: Take advantage of scholarships, grants, and special discounts

EAGE Student Calendar

Your geoscience journey awaits. Join EAGE and seize the opportunity to be part of a community that not only supports your academic and professional growth but also contributes to the collective advance of our geoscience and engineering disciplines.

Join us and contribute to carbonates knowledge.

EAGE unveils inaugural symposium on geosciences for new energies in America

The First EAGE Symposium and Exhibition on Geosciences for New Energies in America is set to take place in Mexico City during the second semester of 2024. This ground-breaking event will encompass dedicated sessions on key topics, including geothermal energy, CCS, water management (with a focus on water footprint), and the increasingly significant role of mineral exploration.

Participants can look forward to engaging in discussions, research presentations, and networking opportunities with leading experts and practitioners in the field. Moreover, we are excited to announce additional side event activities, such as short courses and an interesting field trip, which promise to enhance the overall symposium experience.

The symposium will also offer valuable exhibition opportunities for companies operating within the geosciences and renewable energy sectors. The exhibition space will serve as a hub for companies to demonstrate their

contributions to advancing the field and promoting sustainable energy solutions in the Americas.

This event represents a significant moment in the journey towards a sustainable and resilient energy future. We invite you to be a part of the experience. Save

the date and join us in Mexico City for an event intended to help shape the energy landscape for generations to come.

Kuala Lumpur workshop to continue conversation on subsurface issues in reservoir characterisation

Building

the

of its

The two-day workshop will focus on state-of-the-art subsurface characterisation and modelling along with innovative solutions from digital proliferations with an emphasis on geological science to improve recovery, find new opportunities, and also address CCUS excellence. The event will also cover the integration of core principles of geoscience and engineering analysis coupled with faster computing techniques to develop more predictive reservoir models through multi-disciplinary studies and case histories.

The workshop will be a great opportunity to hear and connect with key operators, host authorities, as well as service and industry analysts from the region. To exchange valuable and actionable insights, the technical programme will be built on key topics such as Reservoir characterisation, optimisation to add value; Geophysical solutions in subsurface reservoir characterisation; Innovative reservoir modelling; Geomodelling for carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS); and Improved recovery and uncertainty management. Abstract submissions are welcome until 31 May 2024.

success

inaugural edition, EAGE is gearing up for the 2nd EAGE Workshop on Integrated Subsurface Characterisation and Modelling happening from 12-13 November 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunset in Mexico City.

REPORT

Relevance of East Mediterranean energy resources evident at Athens workshop WORKSHOP

The recently concluded 4th Eastern Mediterranean Workshop (4-6 December 2023) was a dynamic showcase of innovation and collaboration in the energy sector. This is the report.

Over two days, participants attended a highly engaging technical programme of more than 30 technical oral and poster presentations that underscored the immense opportunities and urgency in the realms of gas discovery, renewable energy, and CCUS in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Jason Robinson, director of business development at TGS and technical committee chair, noted that the technical and commercial quality of papers and their presentation impressed and conveyed the sense of opportunity and urgency for the discovery of gas and the development of renewables and CCUS and that the presence and level of activity of two IOCs and a robust Greek presence reinforced the commitment to the region’s energy future.

Aristofanis Stefatos, technical committee chair and CEO of Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management (HEREMA), said: ‘During the workshop representatives from industry, academia, state authorities and research institutes, presented the latest progress on their work and reiterated a clear message that exploration efforts in the East Med continue at steady pace to provide the much-needed bridge fuel for the energy transition, close to the European markets. The technical programme was enriched by a number of interesting talks on technologies aligned with the energy transition, like CCS, geothermal, CPG and offshore wind, which made it clear that the geoscience and engineering community will continue to play a critical role in delivering the energy transition with success.’

The workshop fostered high levels of engagement and lively discussions across all topics, promoting knowledge exchange and key connections among professionals. Mark Hamilton, principal geoscientist in PGS and technical committee member, who also contributed to the technical programme with a keynote presentation on complex geology, commented: ‘The event

proved to be an excellent opportunity for in-person engagement with experts in the field, several of whom I had previously interacted with only in virtual settings. The workshop was productive, providing a platform for sharing experiences, understanding challenges, and being encouraged by successful case studies centered on the Eastern Mediterranean.’

The choice of Athens as the workshop’s backdrop facilitated not only valuable insights but also a topical field trip to the Revithoussa Liquified Natural Gas Terminal, managed and operated by DESFA (the national natural gas system

success stories, such as the one shared by Diogenes Angelidis, director general, Cyprus Hydrocarbons. His compelling keynote presentation described the accomplished and ongoing exploration successes in Cyprus, adding depth to the discourse.

Essential to paving the way for sustained achievements is the exchange of knowledge and cooperation among stakeholders, and the promotion of future collaborations. Behzad Alaei, co-founder and chief product officer, Earth Science Analytics, underscored the significance of utilising comprehensive data for making informed, data-driven decisions and

operator). While circumnavigating the island, workshop attendees could develop a deeper understanding of DESFA daily operations and logistics, a rare glimpse into a world not usually accessible. The facility provides increased operational flexibility in the transmission system and enhanced capability to meet peak gas demand. Its importance has been further highlighted by the recent energy crisis, a period in which it proved instrumental in securing gas supply and driving energy diversification efforts in Greece and across Southeast Europe as a whole.

The workshop showcased the enduring potential of energy in the Eastern Mediterranean, highlighted by impactful

employing transfer learning to facilitate the journey toward energy transition.

The workshop also drew inspiration from positive stories outside the Eastern Mediterranean. For example, Kostantinos Makrygiannis from KUFPEC, provided industry insights on the role of carbon capture and storage in Norway’s energy strategy. Overall, the event showcased the scientific strides and collaborative efforts propelling the Eastern Mediterranean towards a sustainable energy future.

Anticipation is already building to witness the outcomes of these discussions, which will be revealed at the upcoming 2025 edition of the EAGE Eastern Mediterranean Workshop.

Delegates circumnavigating by boat the Revithoussa Island, where the Liquified Natural Gas Terminal is located.

WORKSHOP REPORT

Latest borehole geology meeting marks progress in discipline

Israa S. Abu-Mahfouz (King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals) and Mohammed Al-Fahmi (Saudi Aramco) report on the EAGE 5th Borehole Geology Workshop, held on 21-23 November 2023, in Dhahran.

Borehole geology, which has advanced rapidly in the past few decades, stands as a fundamental discipline, serving as the foundation for numerous global industries, including energy, mining, CCUS, and environmental sectors.

The workshop provided a platform for professionals in the field to explore and discuss the latest advancements in borehole geology. Spanning three days it covered a wide range of topics and sessions, including sedimentology, structural geology, reservoir architecture, well operations, data science, and unconventional reservoirs.

The workshop reflected on the incredible success of the previous four workshops held in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021 and was well attended by more than 55 geology, geophysics, and engineering professionals. This 5th edition delved deeper into the details of borehole geology, fostering best practices and identifying new avenues for collaboration and innovation. It particularly emphasised best practices and identified frontiers of geoscience and technology to improve transforming 1D borehole data to 3D earth digital models.

Throughout the workshop, participants who came from industry (Saudi

Aramco, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, SLB, Weatherford, ENI, NiMBUC Geoscience, and Eriksfiord) and academia (KFUPM) provided an environment of active engagement, where discussions and collaborations flourished, could lead to transformative advancements in borehole geology.

The workshop kicked off with an exciting geological field trip to the Dammam Dome exposed at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. Participants had the opportunity to explore the Lower and Middle members of the Rus Formation, examining fascinating geological features such as calcite geoids and fractured rocks. This provided valuable insights into the subsurface geology of the Dome, including the impact of regional doming and karstification. The trip also included a visit to another outcrop in Dhahran and allowed the examination of the Dammam Formation, which showcased its unique fossilised nature and the presence of gypsum within the strata.

The second half of the day featured a core workshop, where participants had the chance to analyse and discuss cores from the Jurassic Arab D reservoir. Divided into five groups, each group conducted a comprehensive logging and geological description exercise for their assigned core. Led by Abdulkareem Roudhan and co-chair M. Al-Fahmi, the groups engaged in stimulating discussions, sharing their findings and insights. This core workshop further enhanced participants’ understanding of borehole geology and enabled them to integrate multiple disciplines and study backgrounds.

Overall, the field trip and core workshop on the first day of the workshop provided participants with hands-on experiences and in-depth knowledge of geological features and processes. It set the stage for the following days of the workshop, where further technical sessions and discussions would take place,

on potential advancements in the field of borehole geology.

The second day of the workshop featured a diverse array of technical sessions, each offering unique insights and innovations in the field of borehole geology. The day began with a welcome note by co-chair I. Abu-Mahfouz. Professor Ruud Weijemars of KFUPM delivered an illuminating keynote on the interplay between geoscientific characterisation and geomechanical engineering. The day also included sessions on sedimentology, structural geology, reservoir architecture, well operations, data science and status of machine learning techniques applied to borehole imaging and other well data such as cuttings, acoustic and drilling data. Notable presentations involved discussions on fracture characterisation (Berto et al.), reservoir fracture detection (Al-Fahmi et al.), pore system characterization (Belayneh et al., Alroudhan), LWD imaging (Taher and Fouda, Otaibi et al., Elkhamry et al.), temperature gradients in carbonate reservoirs (Ciuperca et al.), and data science (Afifi and Anifowose, Shrivastava et al.). The day concluded with animated discussions among experts and attendees, exploring the implications of showcased advancements in borehole geology.

Participants examined fascinating geological features such as calcite geoids and fractured rocks.

Participants analysed and discussed cores from the Jurassic Arab D reservoir.

The final day of the workshop began with a welcome note by co-chair M. Al-Fahmi and a keynote address on borehole fluid characterisation by Dr Khaled R. Arouri of Saudi Aramco. The day included sessions on data science (Cozzi et al.), carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) (Uhrin et al.), and geothermal energy (Abu-Mahfouz et al.). Presentations covered topics such as digital core modelling (Cozzi et al., Abdulmohsen et al., Santoso et al., Chinellato et al.), wellbore failure modes and automated interpretation in borehole geology (Bender et al.), and the use of machine learning in mapping subsurface channel features (Aljishi).

Aljishi mainly presented ML techniques to optimise the outcome of seismic data and to speed up interpretation workflows. The technical sessions provided valuable insights into progress in data science and their applications in borehole geology. The day concluded with a discussion led by the workshop’s co-chairs and attendees, on future directions for advancements in the field. Main takeaways from the workshop include that borehole geology is a fundamental discipline for numerous global industries, and new cutting-edge methodologies and technological applications across various topics and best practices can improve

transformation of 1D borehole data to 3D earth digital models.

In conclusion, the workshop provided a wealth of knowledge and insights into the latest developments in borehole geology. Participants had the opportunity to engage with experts in the field, explore various technical sessions, and gain a deeper understanding of sedimentology, reservoir architecture, well operations, data science, and unconventional reservoirs.

We extend our gratitude to the organizers, speakers, and attendees for their valuable contributions and participation in the workshop.

Geophysical Prospecting Special Issue targets

mineral exploration modelling and interpretation

A Call for Papers has been announced for an upcoming Geophysical Prospecting (GP) Special Issue on ‘Advances in geophysical modelling and interpretation for mineral exploration’.

Contributions are being invited that focus on advanced methods of modelling and interpretation of geophysical data for mineral resource exploration. Of particular interest are cutting-edge technologies and methodologies that support the study of intervals at depths of burial that are relevant to exploration (for shallow and deeper targets).

A key objective is to demonstrate the value of integration of various geophysical tools, including electrical (DC) resistivity and induced polarisation (IP) methods, electromagnetic induction, as well as gravity, magnetic, and seismic exploration methods. Such integration is often associated with achieving a more holistic and better understanding of subsurface geology. Papers that demonstrate improvements in high-resolution subsurface imaging beyond traditional exploration limits and provide

detailed insights into geological structures and properties would be particularly welcome. The exploration objective is to seek a more comprehensive understanding of subsurface conditions to minimise risks associated with drilling operations, ensuring safer and more efficient resource extraction.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will also be of interest for its potential role in enhancing geophysical interpretation and integrating geophysical data. The Special Issue is also expected to include practical case studies demonstrating the real-world application of geophysics in mineral resource exploration, mining geophysics, and other relevant fields.

We encourage the submission of papers covering different topics, from pure, fundamental research to more applied demonstrations and integrated case studies, including: Modelling and inversion of electrical and electromagnetic geophysical data; Gravity and magnetic data interpretation; Seismic methods in subsurface exploration; Integrated geophysical investigation: modelling and joint inversion; Application of AI/ML in geophysical interpretation; and Case studies on mineral exploration and mining geophysics, etc.

Submissions

Submissions start on 1 March 2024 with a deadline of 30 September 2024. Final notifications of acceptance/rejection will follow starting on 1 October 2024. We intend to disseminate final decisions by December 2024 and publish selected articles shortly afterwards.

All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed in accordance with the journal’s established policies and procedures. The final selection of papers will be based on the peer review process as well as

reviews by guest editors and the chief editor.

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the author guidelines detailed on the GP website and submitted using the online submission webpage https://wiley. atyponrex.com/journal/GPR taking care on the online submission form to select the drop-down menu for the Special Issue: ‘Advances in Geophysical Modeling and Interpretation for Mineral Exploration’. It is very important to clearly indicate in a cover letter that the manuscript is submitted to this Special Issue and notify the lead guest editor, Dr Arkoprovo Biswas (arkoprovo@gmail.com).

There are no publication fees, page limits, or charges for colour figures. Geophysical Prospecting also offers various options for open-access publication.

Lead guest editor for this Special Issue is Dr Arkoprovo Biswas (assistant professor, Department of Geology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, India) with guest associate editors: Prof Roman Pašteka (Department of Engineering Geology, Hydrogeology and Applied Geophysics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Slovak Republic), Prof Michael S. Zhdanov (University of Utah, director of CEMI), Dr Anand Singh (Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India), Prof Yunus Levent Ekinci (Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Bitlis Eren University, Turkey), and Prof Çağlayan Balkaya (Department of Geophysical Engineering, Süleyman Demirel University, Turkey).

EAGE and SUT to hold workshop on Asia Pacific windfarm development

The challenges of offshore wind far development in the Asia Pacific region will be the focus of the 1st EAGE/SUT Workshop on Integrated Site Characterisation for Offshore Wind in Asia Pacific on 14-15 August in Perth, Australia.

The event is part of the effort to increase the understanding between the geotechnical engineers and the geoscientists in site investigation for offshore wind farms launched by EAGE and SUT (the Society for Underwater Technology) via its interest group on Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics –OSIG.

The workshop promises a holistic approach, combining technical insights

with non-technical considerations, ensuring a well-rounded understanding of offshore wind projects. Join us on what should be an enlightening journey to unravel the complexities of site characterisation and lay the foundation for a sustainable offshore wind future.

Main topics to be covered include: Regulatory considerations; Site characterisation; Foundation construction; Design, Installation and monitoring; and Power cable construction, design, installation and monitoring. We welcome abstract submissions for these topics until 31 March 2024.

Geophysical Prospecting (GP) publishes primary research on the science of geophysics as it applies to the exploration, evaluation and extraction of earth resources. Drawing heavily on contributions from researchers in the oil and mineral exploration industries, the journal has a very practical slant. A new edition (Volume 72, Issue 3) will be published within March, featuring 20 articles.

Editor’s Choice articles:

• Performance of old and new masslumped triangular finite elements for wavefield modelling — Wim A. Mulder

• Time-lapse applications of the Marchenko method on the Troll field — Johno van IJsseldijk et al.

Artificial intelligence Community has a programme for you in Oslo

Calling technology enthusiasts worldwide! Our EAGE Artificial Intelligence Technical Community is preparing something special for the upcoming Annual Conference in Oslo.

For a start, on Sunday 9 June and Monday 10 June there is the hackathon entitled ‘Coding to Net-Zero: AI for energy-efficient future’. It will challenge you to optimise existing energy industry workflows to be more effective while using less computational footprint.

AI Committee members Oleg Ovcharenko and Nicole Grobys explain the rationale: ‘Driving the energy transition is one of the major tasks of geoscience and engineering now. With the hackathon, we aim to provide a space where participants can re-think energy efficiency and deliver data-driven insights for energy transformation topics through application of AI’.

During the challenge, participants will have access to a curated set of machine learning tools, datasets and computation resources to help implement their ideas. In addition, they will get the opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills. The hackathon is not just for professionals or for students, but for all who have a passion about technology and sustainability. If you are up for the challenge, sign up as a team with your colleagues, or participate individually and form a team at the event. Winning solutions will receive great prizes and have the chance to present to a broader audience during the week.

Not sure this is something for you? The hackathon facilitators plan an online meeting about one month before the event to answer questions and start brainstorming about project ideas. That could also be a great moment to form or join teams, and to get to know your future teammates.

For all who would like to have a short break from heavy science but still want to learn something, how about the special session ‘Tips and tricks with ChatGPT for geoscientists and engineers’? The activity, led by Ashley Russell, will offer you the chance to familiarise yourself with large language models and other terminology, as well as with the minimum you need to know to use ChatGPT safely and effectively. You’ll also explore videos and demos of tricks you can take advantage of, such as creating structured data tables from unstructured text. ‘With this session,’ says Grobys, ‘we aimed to have

a lighter format for everybody without prior knowledge. It nicely compliments the deep dive workshop at the end of the week.’

Before you wave goodbye to Oslo, on Friday 14 June, the AI Community invites you to take part in a workshop on ‘Deep dive into GenAI and large language models (LLMs) for subsurface applications’. According to workshop convenors, Lukas Mosser and George Ghon, ‘Generative AI systems like ChatGPT have taken the world by storm. It is clear that there will be enormous potential for geoscience applications. The workshop aims to lift the veil on the technology and bring us closer to adoption’.

There will be a series of talks covering the basics of natural language processing (NLP), the transformer models architecture, as well as examples of where generative models have delivered promising results on tasks related to geosciences. The AI Community will also be introducing a toolkit to train LLMs on custom datasets and providing a hands-on lab session to show a path to building web applications. A panel discussion will sum up the learnings, discuss potential pitfalls and ethical dilemmas, and provide an outlook that balances opportunities and risks in modern AI applications. If you are a subsurface domain specialist or a generalist with a basic understanding of machine learning and data driven applications, you should add Friday 14 June to your agenda.

Check out more details and sign up at www.eageannual.org. Opting in for an All Access Pass registration, you can participate in the hackathon, together with a workshop, field trip or short course of choice, and save on your attendance.

The EAGE Student Fund supports student activities that help students bridge the gap between university and professional environments. This is only possible with the support from the EAGE community. If you want to support the next generation of geoscientists and engineers, go to donate.eagestudentfund.org or simply scan the QR code. Many thanks for your donation in advance!

Participants in the 2023 Hackathon in Vienna.

EAGE Oslo Annual Strategic Programme to be more extensive than ever

Building on last year’s success in Vienna, the Strategic Programme for this year’s Annual Conference is more comprehensive than ever. Spread over four days, eight complimentary topics will bring together experts and thought leaders to address major current issues under the event’s overall theme of ‘Technology and talent for a secure and sustainable energy future’.

Alongside our enriching Strategic Programme discussions, we have witnessed a notable increase in abstract submissions, reaching 1,700. This marks a strong interest from the academic and professional community, guaranteeing a selection of high-quality papers that cover well-represented topics. This achievement is unique compared to last year in Vienna, ensuring that delegates will experience a conference of unparalleled quality. Following this significant increase in submissions, attendees can look forward to an exceptional technical and strategic programme.

Moreover, this year’s range of speakers and moderators in the Strategic Programme will also serve as a differential, with professionals with extensive overviews in engineering and geoscience. Their expertise and insight promise to elevate the discussions, moving beyond the theoretical to address the practical challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. This gathering of thought leaders, from industry experts to regulatory visionaries and academic pioneers, offers an unparalleled opportunity to

glean insights from the forefront of energy innovation and strategy.

This is what you can look forward to in the Strategic Programme:

NCS Leadership Interview: We will kick off with a focus on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), a leading energy hub. The discussion with Equinor CEO, Anders Opedal, will focus on how the region is pioneering new technologies in renewables and decarbonisation, shaping the future of energy.

Tackling energy poverty in the trilemma: The panel will review the global perspective on the energy transition and how to balance sustainable energy production, societal needs, and economic growth, especially in developing regions.

Exploration strategies in the energy transition: As the energy landscape evolves, this segment will delve into the diverse exploration strategies of leading companies, addressing how they are adapting and evolving in the face of external pressures and changing business models.

Transformation from O&G province to broader energy super basin: The North Sea’s transformation will be a key highlight, showcasing its shift from a traditional oil and gas basin to a leading region in renewables, CO2 storage, and hydrogen production.

The role of geoscience in transforming the global energy system: This session will explore the continuing role of geoscience in the global energy landscape offering insights into research and technology developments in this field.

The future of geoscience technology development: The focus here is on the latest technological innovations in geoscience discussing emerging sensor technologies, digitalisation, and sustainability, highlighting the importance of inter-disciplinary collaboration.

State of international exploration: This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of international exploration with insights from leading industry experts.

Future-proofing energy: Empowering diverse talent in a tech-driven world (supported by the EAGE Women in Geoscience and Engineering Community): Reflecting the conference’s core theme, this discussion will spotlight the role of diverse talent in driving sustainable practices and technological innovations, underscoring the need for varied perspectives in technology and sustainability.

Attracting and retaining talent: New technologies and different areas of applications are triggering the interest of the young professionals for the energy industry. This session, jointly organised with the EAGE Young Professionals Community, will focus on the careers of professionals who are today working in new energy domains to inspire younger professionals and students to join the industry.

Stay tuned for more updates on the programme and additional details on www.eageannual.org.

Panel session in Vienna.

Leadership interview in Vienna with Berislav Gašo, EVP Energy at OMV.

A geoscientist’s tale of the unexpected Personal Record Interview

Eric Andersen could never have anticipated he would end up in Malaysia as head of geoscience solutions with Petronas. Brought up in Calgary by parents originally from Denmark, geophysics wasn’t even his first interest. Once he changed course, a career followed, mainly focused on QI/seismic interpretation with Canadian service companies, before the unexpected move to SE Asia.

Émigré parents

I was born in Canada to parents who emigrated from Denmark. The thing about people who make drastic life changes is that they must effectively start from scratch. Nothing is given. Hard work and reassembling the pieces of your life provide opportunities.

Degree job challenge

Growing up in Calgary, I had no fixed plan for my future. I took odd jobs, made some money, and eventually ended up at the University of Alberta. I took classes that interested me, never really thinking about a career.

Finding a job with a BSc in Applied Mathematics was not easy. In my search at the university manpower office, I came across a position for a wireline engineer. The requirements were: an engineering degree, a Class 3 driver’s licence for operating large trucks, willingness to work in remote locations and some knowledge of explosives. It seemed interesting, so I applied. To my surprise, I got an interview. There was much conversation about the role, expectations and opportunities. I thought it was going quite well, until one of the interviewers asked me ‘If you could work anywhere in Canada, where would you like to work?’. My answer was Vancouver. He pointed out, ‘There is no oil patch in Vancouver’. The interview ended shortly after, with no job offer. A few months later, the same company called me for another interview. This time, I knew all the answers. ‘I love northern Canada, mosquitoes, living in camps… ’. I got the job.

It took me a couple years to realise I was not cut out for working heavy steel in freezing winters. I resigned, recalling that while doing my math degree, some others were studying something called geophysics and getting office jobs. So I returned to school, picked up the required geology classes and finished with a degree in geophysics.

Move to geoscience/QI

After graduation, I got a job as a QI geoscientist at a company called Veritas Seismic. Since the company was quite modest at the time, we got involved with everything from seismic acquisition to processing to QI/Interpretation. Calgary then was the hotbed of QI technology. Dan Hampson, Brian Russell, Bill Goodway, and Satinder Chopra provided technical insights that you could never get in a classroom. Jobs followed with Landmark Graphics, Boyd Petrosearch, Canadian Natural Resources and then Talisman global exploration team.

Career highlights

I have been very fortunate to work with many outstanding individuals. Dave Robson, John Boyd and Dave Grey would be the top of my list. I have always tried to emulate the best. For me, technical excellence, integrity, and innovation have been the guiding principles of my professional career.

Move to SE Asia

While I was with Talisman in Calgary a geophysical adviser opportunity opened up in Kuala Lumpur. It was a huge step to

shift to another country. But the desire to enhance my technical skillset and thinking back to my parent’s successful transition, the decision to move wasn’t so difficult.

Your current job

After Talisman, I was fortunate to jump to Petronas as the head of geoscience solutions (EGS). My official remit is to ‘Formulate, lead and drive the execution of geoscience solutions in line with overall exploration strategies and plans through successful deployment of effective integrated G&G technologies from basin to reservoir.’ With just under 300 people, EGS is the largest division within exploration including subject matter experts and technical specialists, from seismic acquisition to petroleum system analysis and development geoscience supporting the company’s global portfolio.’ The remit is the cumulation of my entire working experience. Looking back, none of this was by design. It was an evolution.

What next?

The industry is moving at incredible speed towards automation. Everyone is looking for fast answers at the expense of knowledge and understanding. They are forgetting the basics. Cloud computing, Big Data, AI/ML are not intuitive. They only provide building blocks that when properly integrated with fundamental, basic principles can produce extraordinary results. I am close to retirement from Petronas, but can see many building blocks I haven’t used, others I have yet to discover. Hopefully I will find new ways to put the pieces together, just like my parents.

Eric Andersen

•

Cost Revolution in Mineral Exploration

Ambient noise surface wave tomography allows us to resolve the deep (800-1000 m) cover contact, as well as peek beneath. These sort of wide area, low resolution images can be obtained relatively cheaply : a recent survey over 5,000 km² cost <US $60/km²

about 1/3 the price of MT

1% cost of reflection seismics

Thanks to SISPROBE for providing the data.

CROSSTALK

BY ANDREW M c BARNET

BUSINESS • PEOPLE • TECHNOLOGY

Awarding credit where it is due

March is the month of the Hollywood Oscar awards, featuring actors in an over-long orgy of showbiz self-congratulation in a format which all seems rather dated and indeed every year experiences a steady decline in the TV ratings. Mercifully, no such over-the top extravagance accompanies the award ceremonies in our professional societies, arguably they could do with a little more pizzaz.

However, there is one glaring deficiency to which the geoscience societies (EAGE, SEG, AAPG) have to own up, namely the gender imbalance in the awards over the decades. Hopefully this has been unintentional and a reflection of how geoscientific research and industry was conducted in the past. The many societal forces at work that over time have disadvantaged women in the activities served by geoscience are beyond the scope of this discussion, as are the possible mitigating circumstances and solutions.

To be clear, this is not a name and shame exercise, but the facts are rather startling if you look at the winners of the most prestigious honours (apologies in advance if any names are missing). EAGE first. The top life achievement Desiderius Erasmus Award (established 1999) has never gone to a woman, next year’s 2024-25 president Valentina Socco is our only female winner of the Conrad Schlumberger (est. 1955), and we have only had two female honorary members since 1955. SEG’s top Maurice Ewing Medal (est. 1978) has been awarded once to a woman, Rosemary Knight, sometimes referred to as ‘mother of hydrogeophysics’. There has been just one honorary member since 1930, Sally Zinke, the society’s first female president, and only one woman has won the Virgil Kauffman (est. 1996). At AAPG this year, Kitty L. Milliken became the first woman to be awarded the society’s top honour (Sidney Powers Memorial Award, est.1945) and in the past three years two women have been awarded the Michael T. Halbouty Outstanding Leadership Award (est. 1972).

Predictably, none of these and many of the societies’ other awards bear the name of a woman. That at least has changed. Recently the EAGE had the opportunity to name a new innovation prize for young professionals after the American geologist Marie Tharp (1920-2006), posthumous recognition of the unheralded role she played in modern mapping of the world’s deep ocean seabed beginning in the 1940s, winning over sceptics of Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift theories.

‘Tharp persisted in a male-dominated scientific community.’

Just as remarkable an achievement was how Tharp persisted in a male-dominated scientific community to eventually earn international acclaim for her contribution to what she termed with all humility ‘a revolution in geological thinking, which in some ways compares to the Copernican revolution.’ In her highly recommended, autobiographical account published by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1999, she writes, ‘I worked in the background for most of my career as a scientist, but I have absolutely no resentments. I thought I was lucky to have a job that was so interesting. Establishing the rift valley and the mid-ocean ridge that went all the way around the world for 40,000 miles – that was something important. You could only do that once. You can’t find anything bigger than that, at least on this planet.’

Even Tharp’s journey into geology is inspirational in the sense that it was the subject matter that persuaded her. Early on, she sometimes accompanied her father in the field. He worked for the government agriculture department collecting data for soil survey maps, so there was an early connection with the earth. Her mother was a teacher and they travelled as a family all over the US so much so that by the end of high school she had apparently attended 17 different establishments. Subsequently at Ohio University she recalled that teaching, nursing or being a secretary seemed to be her destiny, so duly graduated in education with majors in English and music plus four minors including some science, but with no enthusiasm for teaching.

The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and America’s entry into the Second World War was the pivotal moment for her. The vacuum left by men off to war opened opportunities for suitably qualified women to work in the oil business. Tharp seized the moment, earned a Master’s degree in petroleum geology at the University of Michigan and found an oil job in Oklahoma. In keeping with the times, she was barred as a woman from field work and confined to working on maps and data collected by men. Dissatisfied, she obtained a further degree in math at night classes, and in 1948 shipped off to New York. Her initial target was the American Museum of Natural History. However, she formed the impression that the paleontological work involved would be tedious and hence applied for a research post at the University of Columbia based on her math background. There, she was interviewed by the legendary Maurice (‘Doc’) Ewing, founder in 1949 of the Lamont Geological Observatory (now the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory), who suggested map drafting (apparently unaware of her geology degree) and unknowingly assigned her a future place in the pantheon of 20th century cartographers.

‘Beautiful movies of big black cliffs in blue water …’

From these profiles, Tharp could study the bathymetry of the northern sections of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and spot an aligned, v-shaped structure running continuously through the axis of the ridge. She believed it might be a rift valley formed by the oceanic surface being pulled apart. She later recalled that Heezen initially dubbed the idea as ‘girl talk’, as it would have supported the controversial Continental Drift theory, challenging the more accepted Expanding Earth hypothesis of the time. Soon a different project studying earthquake epicentres showed large numbers of earthquakes occurring along the rift helping to provide the incontrovertible evidence of the rift’s existence needed.

Almost immediately she was assisting, then collaborating, with Bruce Heezen, a new graduate arrival at Lamont. The partnership lasted until his death in 1977, an agonising few months before the definitive World Ocean Floor panorama was published. Theirs was a romantic as well as professional relationship, according to Hali Felt in the speculative 2012 book Soundings about Tharp and her importance.

Indisputably, the relationship was hardly equitable although Tharp never complained. The two researchers were assigned by Ewing to draft and plot ocean floor profiles of the North Atlantic. For years Heezen would collect bathymetric data onboard the research ship Vema, while Tharp stayed onshore to draw maps from the data and other sources because women were barred from working on research ships. It wasn’t until 1968 that she made her first trip offshore. When Heezen announced the first breakthrough on mapping of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in 1957 and in some later presentations, there was no recognition of Tharp.

From 1952 she had first begun working with sounding profiles acquired from the Woodhole research vessel Atlantis, during 1946–1952, thanks to the availability of echo sounding technology developed during the war for submarine warfare by Ewing and J. (Joe) Lamar Worzel. She created approximately six profiles stretching west to east across the North Atlantic. She described the meticulous, painstaking work involved in those pre-computer days – ‘When each chief scientist completed his cruise … he debarked with a roll of sounding data. Hester Haring (Tharp’s co-worker), with her meticulous handwriting, using a crow quill pen and India ink on blue linen, maintained the Vema sounding records on standard 1:1,000,000 sheets for many years.’

Another idea helped to sway the argument, namely the production of a physiographic diagram of the ocean floor providing an imaginary view of a low-flying plane. According to Tharp, ‘it allowed us to capture the seafloor’s many textured variations, contrasting the smoothness of the abyssal plains, for example, with the ruggedness of the mountains along the ridges. But we also had an ulterior motive: Detailed contour maps of the ocean floor were classified by the US Navy, so the physiographic diagrams gave us a way to publish our data. In retrospect, our choice of map style turned out to be significant because it allowed a much wider audience to visualise the seafloor.’ A first physiographic map of the North Atlantic done in pen and ink was first published in 1957.

In 1959 Jacques Cousteau, the French deep ocean explorer who had initially been sceptical, towed a movie camera on a sled across the Atlantic Ocean near the seabed. He encountered the rift valley and produced, as Tharp put it later, ‘beautiful movies of big black cliffs in blue water’, which he showed at the first International Ocean Congress in New York.

As the years went by the geological community was increasingly convinced and technology, e.g., seismic and magnetic imaging, enhancing the data. There were hassles along the way.

In the 1960s Ewing and Heezen had a falling out. Tharp lost her job and from then on continued her work from home paid for by Heezen from US Navy contracts. Heezen had tenure so could not be fired, but for a period he was denied access to Lamont data and its vessel.

Tharp and Heezen were still able to apply the technique to all the oceans of the world with help from many sources. Their illustrations were vastly enhanced after a random letter from a girl in Switzerland claiming her Dad (Heinrich Beran) could paint much better than them. So it proved. By 1975 all the oceans had been mapped and coloured and then in 1977 the whole world in one picture was published. Tharp retired six years later. Recognition only came later, notably in 1997 when the Library of Congress’ Phillips Society named her as one of the outstanding cartographers of the 20th century.

Views expressed in Crosstalk are solely those of the author, who can be contacted at andrew@andrewmcbarnet.com.

MORE TO EXPLORE

INDUSTRY NEWS

Norway offers 62 licences in APA 2023

Norway has offered 62 production licences on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2023 licensing round with a binding programme of seismic studies attached.

This year’s awards are an increase on last year’s 47 licences after Norway increased what was on offer by 92 blocks in the northwest of the Norwegian Sea and west of the Barents Sea.

Of the 62 production licences offered in APA 2023, 29 are located in the North Sea, 25 in the Norwegian Sea, and eight in the Barents Sea.

In total, 24 oil companies are offered parts in one or more of these licences. Sixteen companies are offered one or more operatorships.

Equinor are the biggest winners with interests in 39 licences and operatorships in 14, while Aker BP won interests in 27 licences and operatorships in 17. Energi has won 16 new production licences on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, four as operator. DNO won 14 exploration licenses, three as operator.

The announcement of APA 2023 was sent for public consultation with a deadline of 7 March 2023. The licensing round was announced 10 May, with an application deadline 23 August. By the deadline, the ministry had received applications from 25 companies.

Companies offered operatorships or parts of licenses are: Shell (1/1); Aker BP (27/17); Concedo AS (2/0); ConocoPhillips (3/2); DNO (14/3); Equinor

Energy (39/14); Harbour Energy (1/1); INPEX Idemitsu Norge (5/1); KUFPEC (2/0); Lime Petroleum (1/0); Longboat JAPEX (1/0); M Vest Energy (1/0); Neptune Energy (4/3); OKEA (3/1); OMV (Norge) (6/6); Pandion Energy (1/0); Petrolia NOCO (2/1); PGNiG Upstream Norway (10/1); Source Energy (3/0); Sval Energi (2/1); TotalEnergies (1/0); Vår Energi (16/4); Wellesley Petroleum (1/1); Wintershall Dea (13/5).

North Sea

On 1148 in the North Sea CS Wintershall will acquire 3D seismic data; on 1198 Aker BP will acquire and/or reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1199 Aker BP will acquire and reprocess modern 3D seismic data. On 1200 S Equinor will reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1201 Equinor will reprocess ocean bottom node studies. On 1202 S Equinor will acquire new EM data. On 1205 Conoco Phillips will acquire new EM data. On 1206 S Aker BP will acquire CSEM data, CSEM inversion and acquire ocean bottom node seismic. On 1207 Aker BP will reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1208 ConocoPhillips will acquire CSEM data, CSEM inversion and acquire modern reprocessed 3D seismic data. On 1209 DNO will reprocess 3D seismic and/ or acquire new 3D seismic data. On 1210 Wintershall Dea will acquire 3D seismic data. On 1211 in the Neptune Energy will acquire and/or reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1212 S Equinor will acquire and/or reprocess modern 3D seismic and G&G

studies. On 1213 S Neptune will acquire and/or reprocess modern 3D seismic data. On Aker BP 1215 will acquire modern 3D seismic data. On 1216 will acquire 3D seismic data.

Norwegian Sea

On 1217 INPEX Idemitsu will acquire and/or reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1218 Aker BP will reprocess 3D seismic data and carry out a EM feasibility study. On 1219 Neptune will acquire 3D seismic data. On 1220 PGNiG will reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1221 Petrolia will acquire and reprocess 3D data. On 1224 Vår Energi will reprocess 3D seismic or acquire modern 3D seismic data. On 1225 S Wintershall Dea will acquire and/or reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1229 Sval Energi will acquire modern 3D seismic and G&G studies. On

Shearwater wins India

awards 33 oil and gas blocks

STRYDE supplies nodes in Ukraine

Illustration; Credit: Lone Stormoen/Equinor.

1230 Aker BP will acquire and reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1231 OMV will reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1232 Wintershall Dea will acquire 3D seismic data. On 1233 OMV will acquire and/or reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1234 Wintershall Dea will acquire and/or reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1235 Shell will acquire 3D modern seismic data.

Barents Sea

On 1236 Equinor will reprocess 3D seismic and carry out CSEM analysis. On 1237 Vår Energi will acquire 3D seismic data. On 1238 Equinor will acquire new EM data and G&G studies. On 1239 Equinor will acquire EM data. On 1240 Equinor will reprocess 3D seismic data.

On 1241 Vår Energi will acquire and reprocess 3D seismic data. On 1242 Aker BP will acquire and/or reprocess 3D seismic and carry out a EM feasibility study. On 1243 Aker BP will acquire and/or reprocess 3D seismic data and carry out an EM feasibility study.

Equinor won 18 production licences in the North Sea, 13 in the Norwegian Sea, and 8 in the Barents Sea.

‘We are familiar with the geology and confident that we will make new discoveries,’ said Jez Averty, Equinor’s senior vice-president for subsurface.

‘Continued active exploration is necessary in order to reduce the production decline that will occur on the NCS. Phasing in oil and gas from new discoveries

will secure long-term activity and contribute to energy security in the European and UK energy transition.

‘Equinor’s Snøhvit Future and Johan Castberg projects are underdevelopment in the north. We will now focus on exploration to uncover the potential for gas in the Barents Sea, working closely with Vår Energi and Aker BP to explore as much as possible with good rig utilisation,’ Averty added.

Per Øyvind Seljebotn, SVP exploration and reservoir development in Aker BP, said: ‘Our strategy is to have a portfolio of acreage that provides a good balance between exploration wells close to existing infrastructure, and wells that can lay the foundation for independent developments if we make discoveries.’

DUG plans to disrupt FWI market

DUG has launched a FWI technology that it claims will replace traditional processing and imaging workflows.

The company plans to disrupt the market with multi-parameter FWI Imaging, an innovative implementation of full waveform inversion (FWI) that delivers simultaneous model-building and full-wavefield, least-squares, depth imaging without the need for a conventional workflow.

‘Results are not just available much faster, but the novel approach delivers unsurpassed imaging directly from field data,’ said DUG in a statement. ‘Traditional seismic processing and imaging workflows contain a multitude of techniques such as deghosting, designature, demultiple and

regularisation – all designed to suppress or modify parts of the recorded wavefield that would be incorrectly migrated by conventional algorithms, such as Kirchhoff or reverse time migration. These preprocessing workflows can be complex, subjective, and time-consuming due to the serial nature in which they must be tested and applied. Projects can take many months or even years to complete.’

DUG chief geophysicist Tom Rayment explains, ‘MP-FWI Imaging uses the robust physics of FWI to simultaneously determine a number of earth parameters, including velocity and reflectivity.

‘The derived reflectivity volume benefits from significantly better subsurface

sampling since it is naturally formed from primaries, multiples and ghosts – which are all treated as useful signal.

‘The approach provides true-amplitude reflectivity images for both structural and quantitative interpretation without subjective and time-consuming preprocessing.’

DUG managing director Dr Matthew Lamont added, ‘We have successfully applied this technology all over the world, in an array of geological settings, using data from all types of acquisition, both modern and legacy. It has delivered fast, superior imaging on geophysically challenging datasets including subsalt and shallow-water. We believe this is the future of seismic processing and imaging.’

CGG reimages 3D data offshore Trinidad and Tobago

CGG has agreed with the government of Trinidad and Tobago to reimage vintage 3D seismic data.

The company will reimage data from blocks 25a, 25b, 26, and 27 offshore to the west of the Caribbean islands. Located in the deep waters of Trinidad and Tobago, the project has received ‘firm industry commitments’ and will deliver early products in late February 2024. The

agreement also includes the generation of well and geological products that will be delivered through CGG’s GeoWells platform.

CGG has committed to reimaging more than 5500 km2 of 3D seismic data in the complex eastern Columbus Basin, using its proprietary TL-FWI imaging technology, which it claims will deliver significantly improved seismic images and provide a better understanding of the geological systems in this underexplored part of the basin.

Dechun Lin, EVP, Earth Data, CGG, said: ‘We will use our established leadership in geoscience solutions and cutting-edge imaging technology to support this Caribbean Island nation’s ability to effectively address its energy needs and goals.’

Shearwater wins large OBN survey offshore India

Shearwater GeoServices has won a contract from the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for a landmark Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) survey off the coast of India.

The venture, spanning six months, showcases its Pearl node technology onboard the SW Tasman, a vessel reimagined for peak efficiency in executing advanced seismic source and dual ROV operations.

‘The fusion of the Pearl node with the SW Tasman not only elevates survey efficiency and quality but also paves the way for groundbreaking seismic data collection in deepwater territories once deemed unreachable,’ said Shearwater.

‘The ONGC survey stands as a testament to the industry’s faith in our forward-thinking technologies, particularly our pioneering Pearl node. Our dedication

to transcending traditional survey limits, coupled with our drive to innovate, positions us at the forefront of marine seismic exploration. We’re not just conducting surveys, we’re redefining what’s possible in deepwater exploration and complex environments, charting new courses that could very well reshape industry standards,’ said Irene Waage Basili, CEO of Shearwater.

TGS and SLB launch latest US Gulf of Mexico OBN survey

TGS and SLB have announced the Engagement 5 Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) multi-client acquisition in the US Gulf of Mexico.

Starting in Q1 2024, the initiation of the seventh program within the seismic joint venture involves the acquisition of 157 OCS blocks (3650 km2) through a long offset, sparse OBN survey. The

expansion of data coverage in the eastern region of Green Canyon will adjoin with prior phases, establishing a continuous coverage area spanning over 23,000 km2 from the Mississippi Canyon in the east to Garden Banks in the west.

During the recent Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 261, blocks within the survey area attracted 16 winning bids and a total bid value of more than $40 million. The Engagement 5 dataset will support existing and new leaseholders as well as regional explorers with the most technically advanced subsurface imaging. This is achieved through the utilisation of long offset data combined with the application of elastic full-waveform inversion (eFWI). Initial data results will be available in H2 2024.

Kristian Johansen, CEO at TGS, said: ‘Engagement 5 represents a key milestone, enabling contiguous coverage between prior phases of an ongoing initiative that continues to deliver game-changing subsurface imaging for our clients.’

Source: TGS.

SW Tasman Vessel.

Source: Shearwater GeoServices.

UK hands out 24 licences in 33rd oil and gas round

Shell, Equinor, bp, Total and NEO are among the 17 separate companies who will carry out seismic studies after being offered a total of 24 licences in the second tranche of the UK 33rd Oil and Gas Licensing round.

These awards follow the 27 licences offered in the first allocation made in October last year.

The 74 blocks and part-blocks offered this time are all in the Central North Sea, Northern North Sea, and West of Shetland areas.

The remaining blocks, the majority in the Southern North Sea and East Irish Sea, will be offered when environmental evaluations, including Habitat Regulation Assessment, Appropriate Assessments, have been finalised by OPRED.

The 33rd Licensing Round opened in October 2022 with more than 900 blocks being made available. The application window closed in January 2023 with 115 bids from 76 companies.

Internal NSTA analysis shows that the average time between licensing and first production is now close to five years, which means that licences awarded now could be producing before the end of the decade.

PGS data covers 21 of 24 areas offered for award in Tranche 2 of the UK 33rd

Round. ‘Reliable data analysis supports assessments of licensing opportunities and enables an accelerated timeline from license award to production.’

Awards come with firm work commitments for seismic studies. On Block 15/13c and 15/18c in the Central North Sea Anasuria Hibiscus will obtain and reprocess seismic data. On 23/16d and 23/17 in the Central North Sea bp will obtain and reprocess seismic data. On 22/24f and 22/25e in the Central North Sea Deltic Energy will obtain seismic data. On 16/22b Deltic will obtain and reprocess seismic data. On 16/22b Eni Elgin/Franklin will obtain and reprocess seismic data. On 3/10c 3/14f 3/15f 3/19d 3/20c in the Central North Sea Equinor will obtain and reprocess seismic data. On 205/1b 205/2b 205/3 205/6 205/7 213/23 213/24a 213/28 213/29a West of Shetland Equinor will acquire seismic data contingent on drilling. On 29/16 29/17 29/18 29/19 29/21 29/22 29/23 29/27 29/28. Orcadian will obtain seismic data. On 21/1b 21/6a 21/7b in the Central North Sea Ping Petroleum will obtain and interpret seismic data. On 21/1b 21/6a 21/7b Shell will obtain and reprocess seismic data. On 213/15b 213/19 213/20 213/24b 213/25 213/29b

213/30a 214/11b 214/16 214/21 in the Northern North Sea TotalEnergies will obtain seismic data. On 22/12b and 29/7b Harvester Energy will obtain and reprocess seismic data. On 15/22b and 15/23b Neo Energy will reprocess seismic data. On 21/25c and 22/21d Neo Energy will obtain and reprocess seismic

data. On 15/27a and 15/28a Neo Energy will reprocess seismic data. On 211/11 and 211/16b in the Northern Sea Neo Energy will obtain seismic data. On 20/28 20/29 20/30a 21/26a North Sea Natural Resources will acquire seismic data contingent on desktop studies.

PGS launches reprocessing project offshore Nigeria

PGS in partnership with NUPRC, has launched the first 3D Vision reprocessing offshore Nigeria, with final PSDM products expected Q3 2024.

Reprocessing now underway over OPL248 will result in the first 3D Vision product offshore Nigeria.

PGS is rejuvenating ~2000 km2 of 3D data in this area to provide high-quality imaging of Agbada Formation reservoir targets, using a broadband processing flow. Final pre-stack depth migration products will be available at the end of Q3 2024.

The Niger Delta Basin is dominated by up to 12 km of Late Cretaceous-to-Quaternery-aged clastics deposited in an upward-coarsening regressive deltaic sequence.

The main source rocks are Akata Formation marine shales and Lower Agbada Formation paralic shales. Proven reservoirs

in the basin are dominated by unconsolidated sandstones of the Agbada Formation deposited as stacked turbidite channel and fan complexes. The largest accumulations are trapped in roll-over anticlines in the hanging-walls of growth faults, but hydrocarbons may also be found in fault closures and subtle stratigraphic traps.

‘Through PSDM reprocessing, enhanced imaging of targets can be achieved, improving illumination of complex structures associated with the diapiric movement of the Akata Shale Formation,’ said PGS.

‘New modern broadband reprocessing produces seismic data rich in frequency content, with velocity model building enabling clearer imaging of structures, faults, and traps. AVO compliant pre-stack data also helps to reveal subtle depositional features, significantly de-risking exploration,’ the company added.

STRYDE supplies land nodes for Ukraine exploration projects

STRYDE has agreed a deal to provide Ukraine’s leading private energy operator, DTEK Oil&Gas with 30,000 STRYDE Nodes and its Nimble System to acquire 3D and 2D seismic surveys across the country.

Ivan Gafych, director of exploration and prospective development, DTEK Oil&Gas said: ‘Ukraine has one of the greatest hydrocarbon resource potentials in Europe. To unlock it, DTEK is constantly exploring and developing deep and ultradeep targets with a focus on combined and non-structural traps. With most of the large fields in Europe already depleted and an ever-growing energy demand, the key to future production growth is advanced technologies that can rapidly identify new hydrocarbon opportunities, such as seismic nodes’.

Yevgeniy Solodkyi, head of exploration department, DTEK Oil&Gas added: ‘Our seismic crew has already undergone STRYDE’s seismic system training at the company’s facility in Norway. With the system also prepared and ready for collection, we are geared up to start up operations in an impressive two weeks since contract signature.’

BRIEFS

bp has appointed Murray Auchincloss as chief executive officer. Auchincloss, who had been interim CEO since September 2023 after the resignation of Bernard Looney, will continue as a member of the bp board. His appointment was made after a ‘robust and competitive’ search process, carried out by the board over the past four months with support from international search advisers. This included consideration of external candidates. Helge Lund, bp chairman said: ’The board is in complete agreement that Murray was the outstanding candidate.’ Kate Thompson has been appointed as bp’s CFO and will join the company›s board with immediate effect.

Lebanon has announced its Third Offshore Licensing Round. Closing date for bids is 2 July 2024. Blocks on offer are: Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the northern half of the country’s maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and Blocks 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 in the southern half. Blocks 8 and 10 are still under negotiation since the Second Offshore Licensing Round.

Shell has agreed to sell its Nigerian onshore subsidiary The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) to Renaissance, a consortium of five companies comprising four exploration and production companies based in Nigeria and an international energy group.

Chevron is putting its natural gas business in Canada’s Duvernay Shale for sale as it continues to streamline global operations after several big acquisitions. The assets, which produce about 40,000 barrels of oil and gas a day from about 235,000 acres in the Duvernay field in central Alberta, could fetch up to $900 million, according to the Houston-based advisory firm Energy Advisors Group.

Indonesia is reported to be seeking bids on 10 oil and gas blocks this year as the country seeks to increase its reserves amid sluggish output, according to an official in its energy ministry.

Amie Foster of Stryde and Yevgeniy Solodkyi of DTEK,shake on the deal.

ENERGY TRANSITION BRIEFS

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has published its draft environmental review of wind energy areas offshore the US Central Atlantic region. BOEM’s Draft Environmental Assessment considers potential environmental consequences associated with issuing wind energy leases offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The Draft EA also considers project easements and grants associated with each potential lease, including subsea cable corridors. boem.gov/renewable-energy/ state-activities/central-atlantic.

The British Geological Society has delivered its first major update of the national carbon dioxide storage database, CO2 Stored, adding more than 60 CO2 storage units located offshore UK. BGS and Heriot-Watt University have added 61 new entries and updated more than 210 CO2 storage units offshore UK.

Baker Hughes has announced several milestones to support the growth of the hydrogen economy including hydrogen manufacturing and testing facilities. The company has also teamed up with Green Energy Park, which operates ammonia and hydrogen terminals worldwide, to collaborate on green hydrogen value chain, including production, storage, transportation and utilisation of green hydrogen and ammonia-based fuels.

TotalEnergies has signed an agreement with European Energy to develop offshore wind projects in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. In Denmark TotalEnergies has acquired an 85% stake in the Jammerland Bugt offshore wind project (240 MW) and a 72.2% stake in the Lillebaelt South nearshore wind project (165 MW). Construction permits are expected in mid-2024, and start up by 2030. The partners will also develop a joint venture to operate largescale offshore wind projects in Sweden and Finland, and bid for the upcoming offshore wind tenders in Denmark.

The UK has cut greenhouse gas emission by 50% between 1990 and 2022. This compares to a 23% reduction in France and no change in the USA.

CGG to evaluate critical minerals in Mongolia

CGG has signed a deal to support the LiMongolia project, a joint initiative by the National Geological Survey of Mongolia (NGS) and the French geological survey, BRGM, to evaluate the regional prospectivity of Mongolia for critical minerals, particularly uranium and lithium.

The resulting geological insight will serve as a foundation for future strategic decision-making by local and global stakeholders, such as mining companies, international funding agencies and geological surveys.

As part of an initial six-month pilot project starting in H1, 2024, CGG’s mineral exploration geologists will apply their proprietary integrated source-to-sink evaluation workflows. Based on their expert interpretation of machine learning enhanced satellite imagery, they will produce a mineral systems-driven lithium prospectivity model of a salar-type basin

in central Mongolia. The continued development of technology-driven solutions to increase exploration efficiency will be a key focus and CGG said it will leverage ‘cutting-edge’ data science and AI tools to ensure that current and historic data is used to its full potential for enhanced exploration targeting.

CGG’s selection for this role follows on from the recent screening studies it conducted in South America relating to lithium salars and palaeosalars, as part of its suite of lithium-related Earth Data library products designed to support the energy transition.

Peter Whiting, EVP, Geoscience, CGG, said: ‘With its rich mining heritage and vast untapped mineral potential, Mongolia is a high-potential region for frontier exploration that will aid the search for critical minerals to support the energy transition.’

Sercel launches MetaBlue Land seismic solution

Sercel has launched MetaBlue Land, a data-driven solution for land and transition zone seismic surveys aimed at boosting productivity, improving safety, and ensuring high quality data acquisition on every type of onshore seismic project.

MetaBlue Land seamlessly connects every stage of a project, from planning through acquisition to data delivery, while monitoring survey progress in real time. It breaks down operational silos by allowing information-sharing between all the project stakeholders within a single ecosystem to enable better informed decisions.

MetaBlue Land brings together all the data collected by the various Sercel software and technologies used throughout a land survey, such as its MESA survey design and planning software and 528TM, WiNGNT, VE564TM, Nomad 65 Neo and 90 Neo and Vibrator Auto-Guidance acquisition solutions. MetaBlue Land is further enriched by data from Sercel’s services including Train and

Launch, Asset Optimisation, and Operational Excellence.

Daniel Boucard, Sercel CTO, said: ‘With MetaBlue Land, we are introducing the most comprehensive and advanced survey management solution to the land seismic acquisition market, with the aim of completely redefining project management to enable our customers to achieve optimum results.’

MetaBlue unites all Sercel software data.

EMGS wins survey offshore Brazil

Source: EMGS.

EMGS has won an $11.7 million contract from Petrobras for a fully prefunded multi-client survey offshore Brazil.

The survey is expected to start late March or early April 2024.

EMGS CEO Bjørn Petter Lindhom, said: ‘We are delighted to return to Brazil for EMGS’ first acquisition project offshore Brazil in almost 10 years. As 2023 marked a year with little acquisition activity for EMGS, we are very pleased

and encouraged by a notable increase in the number of active and mature customer discussions for acquisition projects in 2024. Based on these early signals, we are optimistic that 2024 will be a good and active year for EMGS. In addition to this project offshore Brazil, we currently expect that there will be several acquisition projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf this year.’

TGS expects to report slight drop in fourth quarter revenue

TGS expects IFRS revenues for Q4 2023 to be approximately $189 million, compared to $219 million in Q4 2022.

POC revenues are expected to be $205 million, compared to $227 million in Q4 2022.

Proprietary revenues are expected to be $88 million, up from $60 million in Q4 2022.

POC multi-client revenues are estimated at approximately $118 million, down from $167 million in Q4 2022, with early sales of $59 million, up from £31 million in Q4 2022, and late sales of $59 million, compared to $137 million in Q4 2022.

Full-year POC revenues are $968 million, a growth of 14% compared to pro-forma POC revenues (incl. Magseis) in 2022. POC multi-client revenues are expected to be $549 million, up 8% compared to 2022.

POC contract backlog is estimated at $545 million compared to $475 million on 30 September 2023 and $451 million on 31 December 2022. Cash balance on

31 December 2023 was approximately $200 million.

Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS, said: ‘While we are pleased to deliver an annual revenue growth of 14% in 2023, we are disappointed with late sales in Q4. Delayed licensing rounds, supermajors focusing their exploration spending on drilling and new seismic data acquisition, as well as ongoing M&A processes among some of our key customers, partly explain why we did not see the normal year-end spending in Q4. On a positive note, we saw increased activity from independents, good order inflow and positive momentum in our Acquisition business, which continues to outperform our expectations. Further, the strong development in the Digital Energy Solutions business continued, with more than a doubling of revenues compared to Q4 2022. I’m increasingly optimistic for 2024, based on positive signals from our customers. Our contract backlog going into 2024 is 21% higher than a year earlier and the pipeline of further business opportunities looks promising.’

TGS partners with GVERSE to integrate well data

TGS has announced a strategic partnership with GVERSE GeoGraphix to provide an

integrated solution that allows geoscientists to easily access and integrate TGS licensed well data within the GVERSE GeoGraphix software suite.

The partnership will enable geoscientists to quickly identify and integrate well data required for structure and stratigraphic analysis, mapping and geosteering projects, said TGS.

The well data provided by TGS within GVERSE GeoGraphix encompasses a comprehensive range of information, including well headers, formation tops, logs, as well as production and completion data.

Carl Neuhaus, vice-president of onshore products at TGS, said, ‘Our partnership with GVERSE GeoGraphix through LMKR represents a notable

stride in improving the accessibility and usability of crucial well data for geoscientists.’

Anthony Ford, GVERSE GeoGraphix vice-president of sales western hemisphere, said, ‘By integrating the capabilities of TGS Well Data and GVERSE GeoGraphix, we offer a comprehensive geoscience platform featuring cutting-edge mapping, geological, geophysical, and petrophysical interpretation, structural modelling, well and field planning, along with state-of-the-art 3D visualisation.’

TGS holds the industry’s largest well data library comprised of over 100 years of public and non-public sources. GVERSE GeoGraphix claims to be the world’s first geoscience software on Windows.

Scottish gas field fails subsurface storage test after seismic studies

A study exploring the potential of a decommissioned gas field in Scotland as a major hydrogen store has highlighted concerns over potential leaks and recommended that it shouldn’t be used.

Research led by Professor John Underhill at the University of Aberdeen and Malcolm Butler at the UK Onshore Geophysical Library (UKOGL) concluded that the Cousland gas field in Midlothian fails to meet the criteria for safe subsurface storage.

The site near Dalkeith in Midlothian, decommissioned in the 1960s, has been highlighted by other academic studies as a potential contender for large-scale hydrogen storage to help meet national net zero ambitions.

However, the study has found numerous barriers to its adoption for this purpose, including a lack of evidence of the nature of the subsurface sedimentary rocks and the structure of the field.

This has led to concerns over the potential for hydrogen to escape and present a risk to the local environment and surrounding communities. Professor Underhill, director of the University’s

Centre for Energy Transition, said: ‘Hydrogen has been proposed as a possible green energy vector in the transition, but it forms a small, nimble molecule and is very difficult to contain.

‘It can be stored safely in subsurface geological sites, but so far these have largely been limited to man-made hermetically sealed soluble caverns in halite (rock salt) deposits.

‘The absence of salt deposits onshore in Scotland is what has led to the proposal that former and now depleted hydrocarbon fields such as the Cousland gas field, could be used.

‘However no natural hydrogen has been discovered in any existing onshore or offshore fields in the UK, which raises the question of whether it was once there and leaked, and crucially if it would stay underground if it was injected into a subsurface site.

‘We used geological data available through the UK Onshore Geophysical Library (UKOGL) to critically evaluate the possibility and concluded that the Cousland field fails to meet the criteria for safe subsurface storage, is a poor site

for a hydrogen repository and should not be used for this purpose.’

Professor Underhill added that the study has made clear the need for independent evaluation of subsurface sites proposed for use in the energy transition.

‘In this particular case, it emphasises the storage challenges associated with porous media in general and in subsurface sites in onshore areas in particular.

Dr Butler, chair of UKOGL, said: ‘This study would not have been possible without access to the large volume of well data, seismic records and crucial unpublished historic reports and correspondence archived by UKOGL.

Arabian Geologist Magazine

Seeks practical, readable articles that will appeal to technical professionals, non-technical, academics, decision makers, and government representatives alike. �e magazine aims to deliver scientiﬁc articles, Information, Events, and News to Arabian and International readers. If you are a writer passionate about Geosciences who wishes to share your innovative story, experiences, new scientiﬁc techniques and technologies with the world, then our Magazine is chance to get published and to inspire, educate and knowledge. If possible, articles should be in Arabic, but submissions in the English language are accepted.

Since 1977, Arabian Geologist Magazine has been passionate about providing Geosciences knowledge around the Middle East and world. �e magazine was a periodical formerly published in print Published by the Arab Geologists Association. Due to popular demand, issues of magazine are now available in print and downloadable digital format.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES

Companies, Geological organization, and Universities can submit technical and non-technical articles

See details on the topics and guidelines at www.arab-geologist.com

Special Topic

RESERVOIR MONITORING

Submit an article

Innovation in reservoir characterisation is crucial as energy companies optimise existing fields and explore new fields during the energy transition. This work has taken on an added importance given the need for countries to build security of energy supply in an uncertain world. Meanwhile characterisation of empty reservoirs to assess their suitability for carbon capture utilisation and storage is becoming at least as important.

Ocean bottom nodes are becoming ever more important along with P wave and S wave, time-lapse gravimetry and seabed deformation measurements.

Tom Davis looks back at historical projects to demonstrate what effective CCS monitoring looks like.

David Kessler et al demonstrate the advantages of Full Elastic imaging using the OBN dataset acquired by Woodside Energy in 2019 to better image the sub-salt field.

D. Lecerf et al demonstrate the benefit of including multi-client data to monitor production on a gas reservoir in the Norwegian Sea.

Martha Lien assesses the effectiveness of time-lapse gravimetry and seabed deformation measurements in contributing to conformance, containment, and contingency for the Morecambe carbon storage project.

Michael Mondanos et al present a Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) framework for CCUS.

Stefan Carpentier et al present a time-lapse pilot study for SMC and GL employing EMI in a managed peatland in the central peat-rich delta plain of the Netherlands, near the city of Gouda.

Killian Ikwuakor demonstrates that the impedance-velocity linear relationships for P-wave and S-wave could become important tools for predictive and quantitative reservoir characterisation in well logs and seismic data.

First Break Special Topics are covered by a mix of original articles dealing with case studies and the latest technology. Contributions to a Special Topic in First Break can be sent directly to the editorial office (firstbreak@eage.org). Submissions will be considered for publication by the editor.

It is also possible to submit a Technical Article to First Break. Technical Articles are subject to a peer review process and should be submitted via EAGE’s ScholarOne website: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fb

You can find the First Break author guidelines online at www.firstbreak.org/guidelines.

Special Topic overview

January Land Seismic

February Digitalization / Machine Learning

March Reservoir Monitoring

April Underground Storage and Passive Seismic

May Global Exploration

June Technology and Talent for a Secure and Sustainable Energy Future

July Modelling / Interpretation

August Near Surface Geo & Mining

September Reservoir Engineering & Geoscience

October Energy Transition

November Marine Acquisition

December Data Management and Processing

More Special Topics may be added during the course of the year.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

4-6 Mar EAGE Sub-Saharan Africa Energy Forum www.eage.org

13-15 Mar Norwegian Petroleum Society Biennial Meeting www.npf.no/konferansen/geophysical2024

25-27 Mar 4th EAGE Digitalization Conference & Exhibition www.eagedigital.org

26-27 Mar AAPG/GESGB Business & Exploration Opportunities Show www.beosevent.com

8-10 Apr EAGE GeoTech 2024 - 3 rd EAGE Geoscience Technologies and Applications Conference (including 4th EAGE Workshop on Distributed Fibre Optic Sensing and 4th EAGE Workshop on Practical Reservoir Monitoring) www.eagegeotech.org

8-12 Apr ARPEL-NATURGAS Week 2024 www.semanaarpelnaturgas.com/english

14-19 Apr EGU General Assembly www.egu24.eu

23-25 Apr First EAGE Workshop on Advances in Carbonate Reservoirs: from Prospects to Development www.eage.org

1-2 May Seismic2024 www.spe-aberdeen.org/events/seismic-2024

13-15 May Fourth EAGE/AAPG Hydrocarbon Seals Workshop www.eage.org

13-15 May 6th Asia Pacific Meeting on Near Surface Geoscience and Engineering www.eage.org

13-16 May InterPore 2024 events.interpore.org/event/46/

15-16 May DGMK/ÖGEW Spring Conference 2024 www.dgmk.de

Qingdao China

20-23 May EAGE/SUT Workshop on Integrated Site Characterization for Offshore Renewable Energy www.eage.org Boston United States

27-31 May 12 th Congress and Technical Exhibition of the Balkan Geophysical Society (BGS) www.ageserbia.org

June 2024

10-13 Jun 85 th EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition www.eageannual.org

July 2024

Kopaonik Mt. Serbia

30-31 Jul EAGE Workshop on Advanced Petroleum Systems AssessmentsIn Pursuit of Differentiated Barrels www.eage.org Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

August 2024

12-13 Aug 3 rd EAGE Conference on Carbon Capture and Storage Potential www.eage.org

14-15 Aug 4th EAGE Workshop on Fiber Optic Sensing for Energy Applications www.eage.org

14-15 Aug 1st EAGE/SUT Workshop on Integrated Site Characterization for Offshore Wind in Asia Pacific www.eage.org

18-23 Aug Goldschmidt 2024 conf.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2024/meetingapp.cgi

September 2024

2-4 Sep Fourth EAGE Marine Acquisition Workshop www.eage.org

2-5 Sep ECMOR 2024 - European Conference on the Mathematics of Geological Reservoirs www.ecmor.org

3-5 Sep SGI - SIMP Congress www.geoscienze.org/bari2024

8-12 Sep Near Surface Geoscience Conference and Exhibition 2024 www.eagensg.org

8-12 SEPTEMBER

2024 | HELSINKI, FINLAND

12-13 Sep First EAGE Workshop on The Role of AI in FWI www.eage.org

16-18 Sep Eighth EAGE High Performance Computing Workshop www.eage.org

17-19 Sep Fourth EAGE Conference on Pre-Salt Reservoir www.eage.org

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Windhoek

TECHNICAL PROGRAMME

Delve into Diverse Oral and Poster Presentations

STRATEGIC PROGRAMME

Enagage with Executive Speakers in Keynotes, Roundtables and Panel Discussions

EXHIBITION Meet the Companies Pioneering Digital Solutions

First Break March 2024 - Reservoir Monitoring

Reservoir Monitoring

Discover Sercel Land Services

SOLVING COMPLEX CHALLENGES WITH TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN EXPERTISE

Technical Articles

Sp ecial Topic: Reservoir Monitoring

Special Feature

European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers

Board 2023-2024

Near Surface Geoscience Circle

Oil & Gas Geoscience Circle

Sustainable Energy Circle

GET 2024 in Rotterdam to feature four key energy themes

Why GET matters

Focus on the results

Nothing like learning at your own pace

Geothermal energy prospects in Ukraine discussed at LC London meeting

EAGE Ukraine Professional Development Fund

Winners of 2023 Vlastislav C ˘ ervený student competition announced

Kuwait workshop to discuss advances in carbonate reservoirs

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EAGE unveils inaugural symposium on geosciences for new energies in America

Kuala Lumpur workshop to continue conversation on subsurface issues in reservoir characterisation

REPORT

Relevance of East Mediterranean energy resources evident at Athens workshop WORKSHOP

WORKSHOP REPORT

Latest borehole geology meeting marks progress in discipline

Geophysical Prospecting Special Issue targets

mineral exploration modelling and interpretation

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EAGE and SUT to hold workshop on Asia Pacific windfarm development

Artificial intelligence Community has a programme for you in Oslo

EAGE Oslo Annual Strategic Programme to be more extensive than ever

A geoscientist’s tale of the unexpected Personal Record Interview

Émigré parents

Degree job challenge

Move to geoscience/QI

Career highlights

Move to SE Asia

Your current job

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Cost Revolution in Mineral Exploration

CROSSTALK

BUSINESS • PEOPLE • TECHNOLOGY

Awarding credit where it is due

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Norway offers 62 licences in APA 2023

North Sea

Norwegian Sea

Barents Sea

DUG plans to disrupt FWI market

CGG reimages 3D data offshore Trinidad and Tobago

Shearwater wins large OBN survey offshore India

TGS and SLB launch latest US Gulf of Mexico OBN survey

UK hands out 24 licences in 33rd oil and gas round

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PGS launches reprocessing project offshore Nigeria

STRYDE supplies land nodes for Ukraine exploration projects

BRIEFS

ENERGY TRANSITION BRIEFS

CGG to evaluate critical minerals in Mongolia

Sercel launches MetaBlue Land seismic solution

EMGS wins survey offshore Brazil

TGS expects to report slight drop in fourth quarter revenue

TGS partners with GVERSE to integrate well data

Scottish gas field fails subsurface storage test after seismic studies

Arabian Geologist Magazine

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Special Topic

RESERVOIR MONITORING

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

2024 | HELSINKI, FINLAND

CALENDAR OF EVENTS