EXPLORER 2 NOVEMBER 2016 WWW.AAPG.ORG Vol. 37, No. 11 November 2016 EXPLORER PRESIDENT’SCOLUMN Innovation and the Future of Geoscience BY PAUL BRITT n the last two months, I have been to reduced. Drones are already being used for an international conference, our own pipeline inspection and facilities inspection. IInternational Conference and Exhibition As with many innovations, there is What could you do with a drone? (ICE), and the Gulf Coast Section, Eastern Section and Pacific/Rocky Mountain likely a technology we are not even Nanotechnology Section meetings. The meetings were aware of right now that could have mostly lightly attended, but the geologists “nan·o·tech·nol·o·gy: the branch of in attendance were enthusiastic and the biggest impact on our science. technology that deals with dimensions and optimistic about their profession, even tolerances of less than 100 nanometers, if some were apprehensive about their BRITT especially the manipulation of individual immediate employment futures. atoms and molecules.” At each of these events, I met with many of the same qualities and asked developing the source rock itself. It is a young field of study of a world student chapter groups and I was usually the same questions as the students. The What are some of the potential new so small we can’t see it, even with a accompanied by other AAPG Delegates, advice was along the lines of learning innovations that we can see today? The light microscope. This is a technology of Executive Committee members, or more of the tools in common use among following are but a few possibilities: building machines at a molecular, or even AAPG staff. The student chapter leaders the smaller companies, such as PC-based subatomic, level. and members were enthusiastic and workstation software, and expanding their Drones In 1981, scientists gained a new tool energetic. They were in various stages of scope of knowledge into petrophysics and powerful enough to allow them to see undergraduate and graduate programs other related fields. The PC-based software Come on now – if these were available single atoms. This device, the scanning and many were preparing to graduate is in far broader use than the high-end when we were in school or early in our tunneling microscope, uses a tiny electric soon. Each had questions about their products that are more often limited to careers, what would we be doing differently current and very fine needle to detect the opportunities and their future. larger companies and universities. today? height of individual atoms, and pick up, In the present business climate, those But even more importantly, how is Well built, fairly inexpensive flying move, and precisely place atoms, one at a aren’t easy questions to answer. Stressing future innovation going to affect the machines, capable of carrying high- time. Right now, nanotechnology is being their love for geology to carry them forward geoscience career? resolution cameras and other remote studied primarily for materials science, was the main theme of our discussions. Past innovations in the petroleum sensing tools – LiDAR, geochem sampling, chemistry and medicine. They had questions about what types of geology field are advances like wire surface logging equipment – using GPS It is a science in its early stages, but fields would be best to pursue, whether to line electric logs (the oldest I’ve used (another innovation I didn’t mention earlier) what if it, instead of water and gas floods get a master’s degree or doctorate, and for interpretation was run in 1930 in a for accurate location. What if you could do of reservoirs, could eventually be used for they always finished with “What’s the price well in South Texas), improved drilling an airborne gas detection survey over an enhanced recovery by using molecular of oil going to be?” We could recommend techniques that permit deeper drilling area and map it? Literally, the sky’s the limit. alteration to increase reservoir permeability fields and particularly types of companies, and in more hostile drilling environments, Mapping an outcrop in detail without or change fluid viscosity? What if it could such as smaller independents, service offshore drilling, 2-D seismic, 3-D seismic, having to climb over all of it, surface be applied to block water production in companies, or non-petroleum disciplines to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. geological mapping and other uses like a reservoir, or used as a replacement of which they might not have been exposed Many of these, you might say, are environmental mapping and accurate hydraulic fracturing by changing the rock in school, since many students think engineering innovations, but they were location of geological features in the field – properties of the formation? along the lines of major oil companies and either driven by geologic exploration these are just a few applications for drones The impact on geoscience would be national oil companies. In the end though, pushing the envelope toward new frontiers, (see related articles on pages 14 and 26). immense, opening up the field of reservoir while we talk about careers, they are just or as an iterative process of geology How much more of the study area could revitalization, recovering hydrocarbons left thinking about their first job. and engineering with a back-and-forth you cover in a fraction of the time, allowing behind in an old field. We also met with Members who advancement in each of the fields. you to focus on the anomalies and points of Nanotechnology falls in the category of were Young Professionals. Many were The latest example of this innovation interest with an on-the-ground follow up? “too soon to tell” right now, but the potential employed, but some were recently are the unconventional plays, which have Not only can fieldwork be done faster, for the future makes it something to watch. unemployed. These were experienced virtually reversed the production decline but so much more field work is possible geologists early in their careers who had in the United States by exploring and because the cost (in time) is dramatically See AI, page 8 STAFF TABLEofCONTENTS REGULARDEPARTMENTS Managing Editor National Oil Companies like Pemex “Worst Year Ever”: Even with some Historical Highlights ........................... 20 Brian Ervin have opened up new opportunities major recent finds inAlaska and the 06 12 Geophysical Corner ........................... 24 [email protected] through legislative reforms, but Permian Basin, worldwide oil continue to struggle in this low price exploration and discovery has a Policy Watch ....................................... 28 News Editor environment. NOCs from around the long way to go before recovery. Protracks ............................................ 29 Kelsy Taylor world were represented at a special [email protected] forum at ICE in Cancun. Drone Boom: AAPG is working Foundation Update ............................. 30 14 to educate Members on the new Art Direction/Production Self-described naturalist and opportunities represented by flying Classified Ads .................................... 32 Matt Randolph celebrated author Ben Gadd is one and diving robots. [email protected] 10 In Memory .......................................... 33 of this year’s Geosciences in the Professional News Briefs .................... 33 Media Award winners for his Rise of the Machines: The downturn Graphics Support is driving exploration companies to Ben McNett groundbreaking “Handbook of the 26 Director’s Corner ................................ 34 Canadian Rockies.” innovate with technologies from outside the oil industry. Divisions Report (EMD) ...................... 34 Advertising Coordinators Companies A-K Companies L-Z Mike Taylor Tracy Thompson ON THE COVER: 1-918-630-5672 1-918-560-9414 As the downturn drives oil companies [email protected] [email protected] to find more efficient, economical and effective methods for gathering data, drones are increasingly becoming the CORRESPONDENTS go-to technology, along with other modern David Brown innovations not traditionally associated Barry Friedman with the oilfield. See pages 14 and 26 for Emily Smith Llinás the full stories. Courtesy of the Boy Scouts of America Left: The Boy Scouts of America are calling upon any and all geologists with The AAPG EXPLORER (ISSN 0195-2986) is published monthly for members by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1444 S. Boulder Ave., P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Okla. 74101-3604, an interest in teaching young people, (918) 584-2555. e-mail address: [email protected]. 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