THE GLOBAL ENERGY SEC TOR FROM A SUBSURFAC E PERSPEC TIVE

3
VOL. 22

2025
Exploration
opportunities
Contourites of the

AVO
South Atlantic
Vøring Basin
Møre Basin

DE-RISKING THE
AI in Geoscience

WORLD’S MAJOR
EXPLORATION TARGETS

GEOEXPRO.COM
 E D I T O R´ S PA G E

I’m all ears

WE HAND out our magazine at confer-
geoexpro.com
ences. It is part of our business model
Managing Director – advertisers want exposure at the end
Ingvild Ryggen Carstens of the day.
+47 974 69 090 With the magazine being up for
[email protected]
grabs at events, it also finds new read-
Editor in Chief ers. We don’t know most of them, and
Henk Kombrink in the majority of cases, we will not
hear whether they like our content or
Editorial enquiries not.
+44 7788 992374 But sometimes people are more
[email protected]
expressive about it. One of them, Wei “…it provides me with new
Subscriptions Wei Jong from Fugro Marine, found energy to continue my hunt
[email protected] the magazine at the recent Seismic for good stories to write
GXP PUBLISHING AS Conference in Aberdeen, and was not and solicit”
Trollkleiva 23 only drawn by the front cover, but also
1389 Heggedal by its diverse content. She even called it
Norway
a highlight of the conference. esting learning to share, a new update
Creative Direction As an editor, that’s the icing on the on a subsurface project, or a personal
Ariane Busch cake. It makes my day, and it provides work story, please do not hesitate to get
me with new energy to continue my in touch with me.
Layout and Design hunt for good stories to write and solicit. Our subsurface geoscience industry
XRB Media Limited, London, UK

OUR HISTORY FUELS

I rely heavily on my network for is a small world, but there are many
input, and there are many people to stories yet to share! I’m all ears. In the
Print
United Press, Latvia thank for getting in touch with me meantime, enjoy this hefty issue!
with suggestions. Do you have an inter- Henk Kombrink

OUR FUTURE BEHIND THE COVER

GEO EXPRO's co-founder and first Editor
For over 90 years, we forged a legacy of scientific innovation under the CGG banner. PUBLISHING in Chief, Halfdan Carstens, once told me
Now, as Viridien, we build on that foundation, enhancing our core business capabilities while © GXP PUBLISHING AS.
Copyright or similar rights in all material
to write articles not so much for the few
specialists, but for those in the industry
creating new market opportunities. in this publication, including graphics
and other media, is owned by GXP who are new to a certain discipline. I
PUBLISHING AS, unless stated otherwise.
Our remarkable history fuels our vision for a new era of growth, and at the heart of it are our You are allowed to print extracts for
had that in mind when I talked to Henry
Pettingill and Rocky Roden from the Rose
people. Every day, our talented professionals find new ways to solve complex challenges and your personal use only. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored DHI Consortium. For them, the story they
drive technological progress. in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means electronic,
shared with me about how AVO works,
mechanical, photographic, recorded or how it evolved, and how it’s being used
Together with our clients, we are redefining what’s possible – advancing technologies that otherwise without the written permission today is nothing new, but I do hope it
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republish material from this publication will be very useful for geoscientists who
for distribution should be sent to the don’t work with AVO too often. The cover
Editor in Chief. GXP PUBLISHING AS
does not guarantee the accuracy of the
shows an AVO Class 2 anomaly against
information contained in this publication a backdrop of a beautiful Triassic core
nor does it accept responsibility for errors sample from borehole SM-14, kindly
or omissions or their consequences.
Opinions expressed by contributors to provided by CASP.
this publication are not necessarily those Comments: [email protected]
of the editorial team.
LinkedIn: geo-expro-magazine
viridiengroup.com Website: geoexpro.com

SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY

GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 3
 FIRSTS
”This may be the bottom of the E&P market in the
UK as the government will have to realize the
fiscal damage caused by the unbridled focus on
renewables at any cost, particularly on its cash-
starved constituents. The industry perception is
that business can only get better”
Ian Cross – Moyes & Co

4 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025

LCO
ORNETME NY TP S U M L O R E CMO YNPTSEUNMT

THE CORE
3 Editor's page
Significant spending on seabed mapping
8 Subsurface noice page 88
10 Energy matters
12 Regional update
13 Striking oil –
Why the pandemic left bp to drill a dry hole
Saudi Arabia page 94
99 I talk of dreams
100 Some snakes don't bite
Hot spot: Barents Sea
102 Hot spot: Barents Sea page 12
105 Basin modelling
106 Faults and fractures
Vøring Basin
108 Cutoff Formation - page 38
Møre Basin
Guadalupe Mountains, TX page 14 The "nugget effect"
page 73
110 Vertical geology – Understanding CO₂
A lost Libyan core flow at Sleipner A new bid round?
page 82 page 32
Playtime is over
COVER STORY page 64
20 AVO - De-risking A helium reservoir in fractured basement
page 91 Investing in Kazakstan
the world's major and Uzbekistan
exploration targets page 48
HyTerra hits hydrogen Extract and re-inject
page 92 Creating a source rock page 72 Exciting geology
OIL & GAS page 84 page 74
28 Hydrocarbons are
transitioning away from us
29 Why traffic light maps Striking oil
are useless page 13
30 The reason why The greater Caribbean Basin synthesis
page 50
Woodside dropped Vertical geology: A lost Libyan core
Namibia farm-in? page 110
32 Romania - finally a new
bid round?
32 Start of the next super-
cycle or halfway to
rock-bottom?

CONTENT MARKETING Why Woodside dropped Namibia

14 Discover more in Møre 79 Modernising subsurface page 30
Pelotas and Orange Basin
17 New seismic data unlocks interpretation with page 58
Møre Basin reservoirs EarthNET
34 S&P Global: The E&P
industry of the future FEATURES
38 Vøring Basin 44 Seismic data on
A reservoir model for
41 Outer Vøring Basin - what the workbench GEOTHERMAL ENERGY a geothermal field
is required? 48 Investing in Kazakhstan 70 Shaving off costs for page 75

50 The greater Caribbean and Uzbekistan geothermal E&P 84 Creating a source rock
Basin synthesis 53 A reference for the Triassic 72 Extract and re-inject and storing it for good NEW GAS
58 The future has arrived in the North Sea water, from the same well 90 Geological storage - not a
61 Contourites: When 56 Crafting a future-ready 73 The "nugget effect" in SEABED MINERALS bottleneck
everything going software geothermal exploration SUBSURFACE STORAGE 86 A pragmatic approach to 91 A helium reservoir in TECHNOLOGY
sideways saves the day 74 A drilling campaign in 82 Understanding CO2 seabed mining fractured basement 94 Why the pandemic left bp 96 How seismic inversion and
76 From data to discovery: PORTRAITS exciting geology flow at Sleipner using 87 TMC's bold move 92 HyTerra hits hydrogen - to drill a dry hole a depositional model led
Applying AS in offshore 64 Marit Brommer: Playtime is 75 Building a reservoir model stratigraphic continuity 88 Significant spending on but will it be like a soda 95 Thinking like a geologist in to a sufessful appraisal of
geoscience over for a geothermal field 83 Keeping geoscientists busy seabed mapping going flat? the age of AI an uneconomic discovery

6 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 7

 SUBSURFAC E NOISE LOREM YPSUM

A SEISMIC SURVEY
IN THE MOST “VOCAL” PART
OF THE COUNTRY
Knowing how challenging it can be to perform any “out
of the ordinary” activity in densely populated areas these
days without people getting up in arms, it is interesting to see
that a 3D seismic survey will soon be carried out in the heart of
Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Traditionally, the home of the
CREATING wealthy and most vocal people in the country, let’s see how the
A STICK response will be. The survey aims to better map the subsurface
for geothermal exploitation. Amsterdam is the only place
Newfoundland has consistently evaluated their
in the Netherlands with an extensive district heating
offshore discovered gas resources for the first time, in an

r
network, which offers a great opportunity for
attempt to create more momentum behind possibly developing
geothermal energy production.

o
them. Currently, the licences in which these gas discoveries were

f
made don’t have an expiry date. The only way to create a stick

l
to make the licence owners work up these finds is to demand a

l
field development plan. If that does not happen, the authorities
will have the right to make these companies relinquish the

a
licence, and therefore create opportunities for others

c cts
to come in. That is why an accurate volume THE NEXT WELL TO
assessment is now required. WATCH IN URUGUAY
Uruguay is being looked at again by the majors,
following the success in deep-water Namibian waters.
Apache is likely to drill the next high-impact exploration well
late next year, targeting a supposedly Cretaceous reservoir unit.

a
TotalEnergies drilled the Raya-1 well in the same block before,

r
but this well TD’d in the Oligocene after finding water-wet

t
sands. The Apache well will be a costly one, given the

s
water depth of approximately 3 km and a depth
below the mudline of another 4 km.

MISSING
DOCUMENTS
In 2017, an exploration well, Nutmeg-2,
was drilled offshore Grenada, the island that
shares its continental shelf boundaries with Trinidad
and Venezuela. The well supposedly found indications of
gas, even though it was not tested at the time, and not much
seemed to have happened since. But recently, the hopes for
another look at possible continued exploration were revived
as the new energy minister from Trinidad expressed a wish to
I L L U ST R AT I O N : P C R . V E C TO R / F R E E P I K . C O M
ab
embark on this together with her neighbours. However,
a small problem has now emerged when it comes to
further analysing the Nutmeg-2 well data; the
documents cannot be found… What is
going on?

The snippets of information shared here

are based on conversations Editor in Chief,
Henk Kombrink, has recently had.
Sources are anonymous.
20.- 21.10.2025 Scandic Fornebu, Oslo, Norway, digex.no
8 | GEO EXPRO 5-2024
3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 9
ENERGY MAT TERS LOREM YPSUM

Storing radwaste: Gain clarity and deliver

From academic pipe dreams better insights from
to more practical ideas pre-stack and other massive
Following decades of proposing a wide variety of ideas and the
realisation of failed projects, a universally accepted subsurface design
seismic datasets. See you at
has emerged for storing radioactive waste. But will it be in time for the EAGE 2025
nuclear renaissance that is now coming?
Toulouse, France
Booth #100

T
H E H I S TO R Y of radioactive
waste disposal is probably one
of the best examples of how
LEARN MORE
subsurface projects evolve.
Starting in the 1950s, the spectrum of
project ideas was broad-ranging, from
disposal of radioactive waste in the
ocean subsurface, oceanic trenches,
or later in subduction zones of ocean-
ic plates, to below the ice caps of the
poles or even in space. All these ideas,
except for one, can be characterised as
academic pipe dreams that could not The site of the Onkalo deep geological repository near Eurajoki, Finland, with the Olkiluoto nuclear power
be reconciled with practical reality. plant in the background.
Initially, the repurposing of old
salt mines was pursued mainly in the But rather than repurposing old salt the operational phase of its Onkalo facil-
USA and Germany. This led to pro-
jects at Lyons, Kansas in the USA and
mines, from the 1970’s until now the
state of the art has been to develop pur-
ity, and the Swedish radwaste company
(SKB) received its construction license
DRILLING TOOLS
at Asse near Wolfenbüttel in Germany.
Their difficulties and eventual failure
pose-built subsurface facilities specifi-
cally designed for "permanent" disposal
earlier this year. Other countries like
France, Switzerland and Canada have CORING SERVICES
required a rethinking of the path tak- of radioactive waste. submitted general licence applications
en. Above all, the failure at the Lyons
project was to prove extremely con-
The Swedes were really the pioneers
in the efforts to find suitable solutions
for proposed sites for implementing
subsurface repositories. However, many WELL MONITORING
sequential as the site turned out to be for radioactive waste repositories in the countries are not yet that far advanced,
punctured by old oil and gas wells, so
scientists became worried that waste
1970s and 1980s, The central idea is to
have a multi-barrier concept, which is
and significant work remains to be done
especially if one is mindful about the
WELL INTERVENTION
would leak out of similar, undetected ultimately designed to delay the disper- global nuclear renaissance that is current-
wells. At the Asse site, problems related sion of radioactive material so that any ly ongoing. It would be best to avoid the
to water inflows were largely kept un- radiation dose for future generations mistakes of the past and embrace “what
der wraps, further straining the public will remain below legally defined lim- about the waste” in a forward-looking
acceptance of nuclear waste disposal in its. This concept has essentially been manner.
Germany to this day. adopted by most countries using nu- Rodney Garrard
Above all, it is important to note clear energy today and the differences
P H O T O G R A P H Y: P O S I V A

the changing social context regarding between designs is limited to the choice
nuclear waste during the 1970s. The of container material and host rock.
decade started with a strong expan- Recently, very encouraging steps have This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
sion of nuclear energy, and ended with been taken when it comes to realizing re- The next column will look at
the emergence of a strong opposition positories for spent fuel. The Finnish rad- geological uncertainties.
that asked, “what about the waste”. waste company Posiva will this year enter

10 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 11

REGIONAL UPDATE STRIKING OIL

Business can only Steadily, Saudi Arabia keeps

get better finding more hydrocarbons
The mood of the UK oil and gas industry has reached rock As announced the other day, Aramco found not one but 14 new hydrocarbon accumulations.
bottom, which is reflected in the deals made In light of the ongoing seismic imaging campaigns in the country, it is expected that more of
those announcements will follow

I
N ANTICIPATION of the tax changes Private equity-backed Neo Energy ests in a range of exploration and de-

V
announced by the UK government and Repsol Resources announced the velopment assets in the UK offshore, OLUMESweren’t mentioned in the press release sets. Saudi has eight to nine crews, Kuwait has two and
in October 2024, corporate merger plan to merge their assets into a new but excluded its onshore Dutch gas that was issued early April, but the tone was Bahrain is now embarking on a major project to map its
and acquisition activity accelerat- UK entity, Neo Next. This will be production. The exploration assets clear nonetheless; Aramco is determined to find shallow waters all around the island, amounting to around
ed in 2024 and into 2025. These deals 55 % owned by Neo and 45 % by Rep- include participation interests in Sker- new volumes of oil and gas, and is also success- 5,000 km 2.”
involved companies looking to acquire sol. Repsol UK holds interests in some ryvore Prospect in Block 30/13c, in ful in doing so. “These projects are not short-term either,” Sean said.
producing accretive cash assets that are 48 oil and gas fields, while NEO UK which Serica already held 20 % work- Fourteen new finds were announced, of which eight “Most of these projects will easily last for three to four
non-core to the seller. Single explora- operates several key assets in the Cen- ing interest. On completion of the seem to be standalone discoveries, whilst the remaining years.”
tion asset transactions stopped. The tral North Sea, including interests in transaction, its interest will increase six are more likely to be newly discovered reservoir inter-
corporate deals include majors combin- the major hubs of Shearwater, Britan- to 70 %, and it will become the oper- vals within existing fields. This suggests the nature of the FROM STREAMER TO OBN
ing business units to create larger part- nia Area, and Elgin-Franklin. ator. The development assets include a exploration drive; it seems to be mostly driven by near- The way of seismic data acquisition has changed compared
nerships, taking advantage of synergies, Meanwhile, Viaro Energy, through group of oil fields in the Moray Firth field and even in-field drilling. to how it was done before. First of all, the rapid commer-
including reduced costs, consolidating its subsidiary RockRose Energy, has area with the heavy-oil Fynn-Beauly, The well test results provided in the article are quite cialisation of nodes has resulted in a shift from streamer
tax liabilities, and future profits. agreed to acquire the interests of both considered one of the UK’s largest varied, with the oil discoveries testing between 115 and to node acquisition. Especially in the shallow waters of the
The process started in early 2024 Shell and ExxonMobil in Shell’s op- undeveloped fields. It is worth noting 2,840 barrels per day and the gas finds between 1.5 and Arabian Gulf, nodes are more flexible to put in place with
with the tie-up of ENI and Delek erated Southern North Sea portfolio, that this is the first time that the 1970s 32 MMscf/d. light vessels.
Group’s subsidiary, Ithaca Energy. comprising a number of gas fields that Texaco-discovered field, estimated to Second, a country like Saudi is on a mission to prove
This briefly created the UK’s sec- make up the Leman and Clipper pro- contain oil in place of between 600 LOTS OF ACTIVITY all additional volumes they can get their hands on. Mo-
ond-largest operator after Harbour duction hubs. Shell and ExxonMobil’s and 1.3 billion barrels, has almost We briefly spoke to Sean Siegfried, CEO of Saudi Geo- hammed bin Salman Al Saud, Saudi’s ruler, also known as
Energy. Then Equinor and Shell UK interests in the Bacton gas processing wholly been held by a single licence physical, about the geophysical acquisition market in Sau- MBS, has ambitious projects to pay for. At the end of the
announced it was to combine their terminal and Shell’s operated 50 % in- partnership, which should bode well di. He confirmed: “There is a remarkable drive to firm up day, it is oil and the newly built Red Sea hotels that will
oil and gas assets in December 2024, terest in Block 48/8b, containing the for a future development project. Or- more near-field volumes.” ultimately need to generate the cash to sustain the public
thus creating the largest independent Selene gas discovery, were also includ- cadian Energy is Serica’s joint venture “About 30 to 40 % of the world’s seismic acquisition spending. But in the meantime, it looks as if oil will be the
UK producer. This joint venture will ed in the deal. partner in Fynn-Beauly. crews are based in the Middle East at the moment,” Sean main cash generator, even at the depressed prices of the
include Equinor’s interests in Mariner, On a smaller scale, Serica Energy With the timing of future bid explained. “In total, there are between 15 to 18 crews ac- present day. Exploration does not seem to be affected by
Rosebank, and Buzzard, and Shell’s and the Parkmead Group announced rounds in the UK unclear, and the ab- tive at the moment, of which 90 % is about performing it either. The Saudis think longer term than most IOC’s.
interests in Shearwater, Penguins, that it signed an agreement for Seri- sence of exploration interest, we expect 3D acquisition of areas around perimeters of existing as- Henk Kombrink
Gannet, Nelson, Pierce, Jackdaw, Vic- ca to acquire 100 % of the shares in to see more transactions as companies
tory, Clair, and Schiehallion. Parkmead (E&P). This includes inter- seek to realign UK offshore assets and
consolidating for efficiency.
This may be the bottom of the
E&P market in the UK as the gov-
ernment will have to realize the fiscal
damage caused by the unbridled focus
P H O T O G R A P H Y: T O T A L E N E R G I E S . C O M

on renewables at any cost, particularly

on its cash-starved constituents. The
industry perception is that business
can only get better. At the same time,
P H O T O G R A P H Y: A R A M C O

it is important to remember that there

are more welcoming countries with
better fiscal and regulatory terms ac-
tively competing for investment at the
same time.
Culzean, United Kingdom. Ian Cross - Moyes & Co Seismic acquisition in the desert.

12 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 13

EXPLOR ATION OPPORTUNITIES C O N T E NCONTENT
T M A R KMARKETING
ETING

Discover more
As demonstrated by recent exploration over the NVG so that it now extends
success, Viridien’s Northern Viking into the Møre Basin and Møre Platform
Graben (NVG) seismic survey in the in the Norwegian Sea. A glimpse of
Northern North Sea has already proven the early fast-track data from NVG24
to be a valuable exploration tool. Thanks is shown in the foldout juxtaposed with

in Møre, Norway
to the high-quality seismic data in this fully imaged data from the NVG East-
geologically challenging area, prospects West (EW) coverage (Figures 2 and 3).
are better defined, allowing for qualified The upcoming NVG24 final data will
drill decisions. In 2024, Viridien applied be of the same high quality and reveal
the latest seismic acquisition and imaging structural and stratigraphic details
technology to add a northern extension, at the Manet Ridge, Marulk Basin,
Connecting the North and Norwegian Seas known as NVG24 (green polygon in Gnausen High and the Møre Platform Figure 2. Overview map of the NVG survey Figure 3. Time-structure map of the top acoustic basement in the Møre Basin, Sogn Graben, and Møre

by extending proven and developing play models

(blue), NVG24 (green) and sparse OBN Platform. The green polygon is the NVG24 survey. The yellow line is the location of the seismic foldout line in
Figures 2 and 3), to its current coverage (Figure 3). (black) coverage near the Norwegian coast. Figure 1.

a Makrell Horst Marulk Basin Tampen Spur Sogn Graben Selje Horst Møre Platform

1s

2s

3s

Peon Quaternary b
4s
Neogene

Paleogene

Upper Cretaceous
5s
Lower Cretaceous
Jurassic-Triassic
-Paleozoic Basement
W E NE
Figure 1: (a) Seismic section across the NVG final data and the recent NVG24. The vertical scale is in two-way traveltime.
(b) Coloured interpretation of the seismic foldout line. The line location is indicated in Figure 3.
14 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025
EXPLOR ATION OPPORTUNITIES CONTENT MARKETING CONTENT MARKETING

New seismic data unlocks A Upper Cretaceous anomalies A’ c 20Hz

A d 20Hz
B

Møre Basin reservoirs

2.5s 30Hz 40Hz 30Hz 40Hz
Base Cretaceous

3.0s
1km
Do the Møre Basin and Platform hold the next hydrocarbon a
giants on the Norwegian Continental Shelf? B B’ 6204/11-1
Lower Cretaceous anomaly
MARIT STOKKE BAUCK, ANNA RUMYANTSEVA AND IDAR KJØRLAUG, VIRIDIEN 3.5s

VIRIDIEN’S Northern Viking Graben (NVG) seismic RESERVOIRS AND PLAY MODELS 4.0s

COVER STORY
survey campaign in the North Sea recently celebrated 1km
MESOZOIC RESERVOIRS b 1km
A’ 1km
B’
10 years of acquisition and imaging (Figures 1 and 2). Classic Mesozoic plays are seen both near the
Figure 5: a) Seismic N-S section intersecting Upper Cretaceous anomalies in the Møre Platform. The yellow dashed line represents the base of the
Since its commencement in 2014, the survey has played Manet Ridge in the west, extending north toward the anomalies shown in (c), interpreted to be channels). b) Seismic N-S section intersecting lower Cretaceous anomalies in the Slørebotn Subbasin. The
a significant role in exploration in the Norwegian North Møre Basin, and in the near-shore structures on the yellow dashed line represents a Lower Cretaceous surface shown in (d), interpreted to be channels with overbank deposits. c) RGB frequency blending
Sea area. With the latest survey extension northwards, Møre Platform in the east. These hold the potential from spectral decomposition analysis of the Upper Cretaceous (Kyrre Formation) sand. d) RGB frequency blending from spectral decomposition analysis
of the Lower Cretaceous (Agat Formation) sand.
known as the NVG24 dataset, the NVG survey now reservoirs of Triassic and Jurassic sands. A three-
covers parts of the Møre Basin and its bounding way closure prospect in the Marulk Basin, toward
structures, the Marflo Spur, Kinn High, and the Møre the Manet Ridge, has possible reservoirs which are
lobes. The north-south seismic sections and RGB frequency Sea through its NVG imaging and velocity model build-
”To me, it is extremely exciting to follow these
Platform in the Norwegian Sea. The regional foldout time-equivalent to Triassic-Jurassic Lunde and Stat-
line from the NVG survey intersects some of these struc- fjord formations (Figure 1).
blending from spectral decomposition analysis show the
confined channels and associated lobes (Figures 5a-d).
ing work over the last decade has been applied to the
new NVG24 dataset. Additional sparse OBN coverage
developments, as it has the potential to produce
tures (Figures 1 and 3). The first phase of exploration
activity on the Møre margin was driven by the desire to
The early NVG seismic survey vintages revealed
half grabens with Jurassic deposits within the Måløy
acquired but not yet fully processed in the Slørebotn phenomenal results once the quantum computing
CENOZOIC RESERVOIRS Subbasin and Møre Platform will also further enhance the
investigate the possible extension of the Jurassic-rotated
fault blocks already successfully targeted in the North
Slope. Similar half-grabens are found within the Møre
Various geologic details are revealed in the high-quality velocity model used in the processing. Fast-track results code is cracked. Imagine a future where elastic
Platform, which can be seen as a continuation of the
from NVG24 are promising and already significantly
Sea. So far, the wells drilled have found only minor Måløy Slope structure. Wells on the Møre Platform
seismic dataset. Among these are proximal, thick basin-fill,
polygonal faults, and an area with mounds and channels better than existing public vintage data. The final data,
FWI is routine and DHI analysis, including AVO
amounts of oil and gas in Jurassic and Cretaceous have proven both Triassic and Jurassic reservoirs in
reservoirs. However, it was the presence of hydrocar- these half-grabens (Jongepier et al., 1996). On the
appear in the isochron of the Hordaland Group (Figure processed with the latest seismic imaging technology, in-
cluding advances in pre-processing, noise mitigation, and
evaluation, incorporates data far superior to
6a). Above the polygonal fault systems, potential sand
bons and reservoirs on the Manet Ridge and Møre inner part of the Møre Platform and the Måløy Slope,
Platform that encouraged Viridien to extend the NVG fault block crests were eroded to the basement level
accumulations (residual sands, Utsira Formation) are velocity model building, will benefit prospect evaluation anything we have today”
observed as bright amplitudes (Figure 6b). The mounded in this area. The various prospective reservoirs described
survey northward into the less explored Norwegian Sea during the late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous (Figure
structures can be interpreted to be the result of sinkites, in the above sections demonstrate the variety of potential Rocky Roden – Geophysicist, DHI Consortium
and acquire the NVG24 data set (Figures 2 and 3). The 4). The redeposition of the erosional products are
where late Miocene-Pliocene sands have sunk into the exploration models. With a high-quality modern seismic
streamer survey was acquired in an east-west direction potential good reservoirs in the basins.
polygonal faults, displacing highly porous diatomaceous dataset, other play elements, such as trap and charge,
with a broadband configuration. In the east, a grid of
ooze upwards (Rudjord and Huuse, 2024; Figures 6c, can be evaluated and renewed exploration in this region
sparse ocean bottom nodes (OBN) was deployed; CRETACEOUS RESERVOIRS
d). Bright-amplitude discordant reflections, interpreted can take place. Analog prospectivity extends further north
these results will be available later in 2025. This article Cretaceous submarine sand reservoirs are identified
as sand injections, are revealed in the Hordaland Group and east, suggesting that acquisition should continue
outlines potential reservoirs that can be mapped with on the Måløy Slope, Møre Platform, and in the Sløre-
(Figure 6d). northward in this underexplored area of the Norwegian
the new NVG24 imaging. botn Subbasin (Figure 3). Locally, the Cretaceous unit Continental Shelf. The potential to unlock the next giant
is dominated by mud-rich, deep-water slope-to-basin- hydrocarbon discovery may lie within the NVG24 or even
REGIONAL 3D SEISMIC - A POWERFUL TOOL
floor deposits interbedded with coarse-grained clastic further into the Norwegian Sea.
The regional knowledge Viridien has gained in the North
sediments (Sømme et al., 2019). The unit has proven
Base Cretaceous prospectivity with hydrocarbon discoveries in Lower
3s
Cretaceous (Albian-Aptian) and Upper Cretaceous D a
(Turonian, and Campanian) sand reservoirs near the
B D’
Måløy Slope and Møre Platform (Figures 4 and 5). C Figure 6: a) Isochron map of the Hordaland Group
Sandstone units were identified in well 6204/11-1 B’ across the NVG24 area, revealing both subtle and
in a thick Upper Cretaceous section, with debrites and C’ significant thickness variations, as seen in seismic
1.2 sections b-d. This map enhances differences across
slump deposits of Turonian and Coniacian age (Fig- the survey area, as shown in the seismic sections.
ures 5a, c). A time-equivalent good-quality sandstone b) Polygonal-patterned ground in the west, with
section has been interpreted to be stacked submarine 0 10km
bright amplitude infill marked with yellow arrows
sec in the figure. c) Mounded and elongated features
4s channel complexes in well 6204/10-1, 17 km to the occur in the central part. d) Discordant, bright
southwest (Prélat et al., 2015; Figure 5c). Toward the b c d amplitudes may represent sand injectites. These are
Figure 4: E-W seismic section across the Møre Platform and Slørebotn Slørebotn Subbasin, the submarine channels eroded 2.5s found in the east and toward the Sogn Graben.
Subbasin. The yellow dashed line represents the top Basement, which 2.5s Yellow colouring in the seismic sections indicates the
into the underlying strata in which sediments were 2.5s
is covered in Triassic and Jurassic deposits. thickness incorporated in the isochron map.
transported further into the basin and deposited in B 1km B’ C 1km C’ D 1km D’

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HOW AVO HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES People tend to say that a good geologist has seen many rocks. But does the same
TO BE AN ESSENTIAL TOOL IN apply to geophysicists? Is a geophysicist more knowledgeable when he or she has
seen more seismic data? I’m not aware of that same principle being used. What I do
DE-RISKING THE WORLD’S HIGH-IMPACT know, however, is that the two people I spoke to for this article have seen a lot of
seismic activity from all over the world.
EXPLORATION WELLS

H
ENRY PE T TINGILL , who is a “It is also good to mention that
A conversation with two world-leading experts - Henry Pettingill and geologist by training, be- AVO is only one of the geophysical
came the head of the Rose methodologies that fall under the Di-
Rocky Roden from the Rose DHI Consortium DHI Consortium after rect Hydrocarbon Indicator umbrella.
HENK KOMBRINK having been a member for eighteen Some people think that every DHI has
years. Geophysicist Rocky Roden has a strong AVO effect, but DHI’s from
been a principal in the DHI Con- stacked data, such as flat spots and edge
sortium for 25 years. Together with effects are often more diagnostic. AVO
their colleagues Mike Forrest and is just one of the tools in the DHI tool-
Roger Holeywell, they have seen an box,” says Rocky.
unparalleled number of exploration Figure 1 shows the classification
programmes and discussed the sub- scheme on how amplitudes change
sequent drilling results that have all with offset at the top of gas sands.
been thoroughly assessed for DHI’s. Nowadays, typically five classes are
This happens at regular meetings of distinguished, but when Steven Ru-
Henry Pettingill Rocky Roden
the consortium members from over therford and Robert Williams came
30 companies, during which the up with the first proper classification
work done on de-risking prospects is of AVO classes in 1989, only Classes 1,
discussed privately, such that learn- 2 and 3 were defined. “There was quite
ings can be shared. some discussion on how to name or
Rocky and Henry tap into this ex- number them,” says Rocky. “We had
perience when informing me about the Steven Rutherford present at our DHI
basic principles of AVO, followed by a consortium a few years ago, and he re-
discussion on the most common pitfalls, called the story of the discussion they
how prospect risking is done in practice, had whether to call them 1, 2, 3; A, B,
and what the future of AVO-driven ex- C or X, Y, Z. Only at the last minute,
ploration entails. But let’s start with the they went for 1, 2, and 3.”
basics first. That was fortunate, as in subse-
quent years, Class 4 was added to the
THE 1950’S AND BEYOND mix through the work of John Castag-
Our understanding of DHI’s has na and Herbert Swan in 1997. John
evolved from Gassman’s fluid replace- Castagna has made numerous contri-
ment modelling in 1951, to the recog- butions to the Consortium through
nition of the relationship of bright spots the years. In addition, a subdivision of
and hydrocarbons, and subsequently to Class 2 into two sub-classes was intro-
AVO changes with offset due to gas ob- duced through the work of Chris Ross
served by Ostrander in 1984. and Daniel Kinman in 1995, where
Nowadays, AVO is a standard tool Class 2P includes a phase reversal with
in the exploration toolkit. That is not offset, whereas Class 2 does not.
a coincidence, as the geological success
rate of AVO-supported wells has been CAREFUL CLASSIFICATION
significantly higher than that of wells “The five Classes provide a frame-
drilled without. work for interpreting AVO, but

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Polarity like a Class 1 AVO. There are several modelling. However, it is very resolva-
AVO EXAMPLES
places around the world where we can ble; all you have to do is spectrally bal-
Class 1: The Tanin gas discovery in the Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt) is a great
observe this, and it shows that it’s not ance your gathers, such that you don’t
example of a Class 1 AVO response, with amplitudes dimming at top reservoir
only the reservoir that determines the have any frequency changes across the level when moving from the water-wet to gas-bearing in the Tamar Sand A sand.
Class 1 Class, but the combination with what gathers. Some companies will do this A Class 1 AVO usually occurs in consolidated reservoirs, where porosity tends to
Reflection coefficient

+ sits above it.” routinely, some of them will not.” be reduced at deeper levels. Because of the compacted nature of Class 1 sands,
and the impedance difference between the sands and seals becoming smaller, the
Class 2p “We know at least two to three cas- number of Class 1 AVO prospects in the DHI Consortium database of 415 wells is
0 AVO PITFALLS es in the DHI Consortium where AVO very limited.
Class 2 “For me,” says Henry, “the very reason tuning effects produced inaccurate in-
- why we have pitfalls in the first place terpretations that led to failed drilling
is because of the non-unique nature attempts. There are probably more in
Class 4 of geophysical solutions and therefore our database, but detailed modelling
AVO. Multiple scenarios can explain was not performed on these dry holes Figure 3: A Class
1 AVO response,
Class 3 the same geophysical expression. That’s to confirm AVO tuning,” concludes showing a dimming
Incident angle why we always walk through a list of Rocky. of the top reservoir
potential pitfalls, asking ourselves what reflector at the Tanin
gas discovery, offshore
Figure 1:Figure 1 scheme for the five different AVO Classes, showing how amplitudes change with
Classification might be other explanations to explain ASH BEDS AND OTHER SOFT Egypt. Source: El-Ata
offset atClassification
the top gas sands. Source:
scheme formodified
the fivefrom Rutherford
different AVOand Williams (1989); Castagna and Swan
Class-
(1997); es,
andshowing
Ross and how
Kinman (1995). change with offset at the
the amplitude response we see.” This NON-RESERVOIR LITHOLOGIES et al. (2023),Sci Rep
amplitudes 13, 8897.
list of potential pitfalls is briefly sum- About 20 % of failed DHIs are caused
top gas sands. Source: modified from Rutherford and Figure 3
Williams (1989); Castagna and Swan (1997); and marised in Figure 6. by non-reservoir lithologies – soft Class
A Class2: AVO’s
1 AVO tend
response, to develop
showing a dimmingin
of the
Low Impedance “If the contribution to the DHI-up- shales, marls, silts and ash. “We have top reservoir reflector at the Tanin gas discovery, Angle gathers
Ross and Kinman (1995). Class 1 slightly less compacted and consolidated
offshore Egypt. Source: El-Ata et al. (2023),Sci Rep
sands than the Class 1 examples. The
Near Far
lifted chance of success associated seen the latter in the Gulf of Mexico, 13, 8897.
High Impedance Gas Sand with AVO gets too high, compared to but also in the West of Shetlands,” difference between a Class 2 and 2P Class 2
AVO response is that the latter shows Tamar A Sand
the other DHI characteristics, we see says Henry, “and it has been a thing a polarity reversal whilst the former Class 3
Tamar B Sand
Slightly Lower Impedance a decrease in prospect success rates,” that has hit me at regular intervals doesn’t. Both AVO classes experience Class 3
Class 2p adds Rocky. “Uncalibrated AVO is the throughout my career.” a negative gradient (slope) as the offset Tamar C Sand

Slightly Higher Impedance Gas Sand main reason for this. Most high-qual- “The first time was with Shell increases. An example of a Class 2 AVO
response can be seen in the Tamar gas
ity DHI prospects have numerous when we drilled Natasha in the Gulf discovery offshore Israel, where a series Figure 4
Figure 4: The Tamar gas discovery offshore
Slightly Higher Impedance DHI characteristics, and a dominant- of Mexico in the early 1980’s, where of Miocene sands proved to be gas- The Tamar gas discovery offshore Israel shows both Class 2 as well as
Israel
Class shows
3 AVO both
responses, Classhere.2 Adapted
as shown as wellfrom:
asNeedham
Class et3al.
Class 2 ly AVO-driven prospect therefore in- we thought we had a good downdip bearing. As can be seen in Figure 4, the (2017), AAPG Memoir 113.
AVO responses, as shown here. Adapted from:
top sand (A) shows a Class 3 response Needham et al. (2017), AAPG Memoir 113.
Slightly Higher Impedance Gas Sand creases the risks.” The drop in success conformance with structure, but we
from slightly negative to a more negative
rate is illustrated in Figure 7; when the drilled a Pleistocene ash turbidite in- response with offset.
AVO part of the DHI Index is more stead. It was the first time we hit such Class 3: Because of the strongly negative response Class 3 AVO shows at the whole
High Impedance
Class 3 than 60 %, the chance of success is an ash bed in the area, but many more range of offsets, this class is also known as the Bright Spot AVO. With increasing
greatly reduced. have been drilled since, in many levels offset, the amplitudes become even slightly more negative than they already are
Low Impedance Gas Sand at near-offset. The Tamar B and C sands are examples of Class 3 AVO responses
Below are a few of the more im- ranging from Lower Miocene to Pleis-
(Figure 4).
portant pitfalls interpreters have to be tocene.”
Class 4: Many Class 4 AVO’s occur in unconsolidated sands, similar to Class
High Impedance Hard Lithology mindful of. “Twenty years later, when I was
Class 4 with Noble, we were going to drill the
3 AVO’s. But as Figure 1 already shows, the change of amplitude over offset is
small, which means that the identification of a Class 4 AVO can be tricky. The
Low Impedance Gas Sand AVO TUNING Stone’s River prospect in the Missis- example shown here corresponds with that observation, with a Class 4 from
Hoover Field, Gulf of Mexico, where the Far-angle stack shows a slightly more
“If you look at a gather,” starts Rocky, sippi Canyon, far away from Natasha. subtle amplitude response than the Near-angle stack.
Figure 2: Note that it is the relative impedance contrast between the overlying seal and the gas sand below
Figure 2
that ultimately determines the AVO Class. Source: DHI Consortium “and it is not spectrally balanced, you What happened? The beautiful Class
Note that it is the relative impedance contrast between often encounter Normal Moveout Out 2 AVO turned out to be yet another
the overlying seal and the gas sand below that stretch as you get to the far offsets. sand containing 30 % ash.”
what really determines the AVO Class careful in assigning an AVO class be- This subsequently causes a lower fre- “And that was not all. Twenty
ultimately determines the AVO Class. Source: DHI
for prospects is the following,” says fore we have done an integration with quency on the far offsets.” years later, at a company’s office in
Consortium
Rocky. “Look at the relative acoustic other geological data.” “So, if you have an uncalibrated Houston, we were discussing a pros-
impedance contrast between hydro- “An example is a well in the Bar- thick wet sand, and it starts to tune pect that had some sub-salt issues,
carbon reservoirs and the overlying ents Sea we had the privilege to re- right at the associated frequency, typ- and we were going down the road of
lithology (shale) in Figure 2; in some view. We had a 20 % porosity reser- ically at the mid to far offsets, it blos- discussing everything that could have
cases, a gas sand is low impedance, in voir, typically a Class 2 AVO, but it soms because of the tuning effect. In gone wrong with this prospect, except
Figure 5: Near-angle stacked seismic data (left) and Far-angle stacked seismic data for the
others it is high. Basically, all combi- also had a source rock sitting on top turn, this looks like a hydrocarbon what? A forty-year career, and being Figurefield,
Hoover 5 Gulf of Mexico, showing a gentle dimming from Near to Far. Source: Inyang
nations between seal and reservoir are of it. And because that source rock effect. It’s a difficult thing to get your burnt at 20-year increments by the (2009), Master
Near-angle Thesis University
stacked of Houston.
seismic data (left) and Far-angle
possible, and therefore we have to be had such low impedance, it looked head around unless you do a lot of same pitfalls,” Henry laughs. stacked seismic data for the Hoover field, Gulf of
Mexico, showing a gentle dimming from Near to Far.
Source: Inyang (2009), Master Thesis University of
Houston.
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Soft shales, siltstones, marls, ash or WET SANDS maybe there is a bounding lithology DHI Failure Outcomes in SAAM Gas-bearing Oil-bearing marl (1)
coal beds could produce this anomaly “Half of the number of the dry holes change. And sure enough, there was, as of Nov. 2024, n=189 Tight Sandstone (1)
in our database are wet sands,” says and it was a discovery despite having a Wet Sand (51 %)
High porosity, clean, wet sands Henry, “and most of those, when look- weaker AVO signature.”
No Reservoir (19 %)

Well Result
ing back, had a decent AVO response.” Gas-bearing
LSG - Wet reservoir with low satura-
See Figure 8 for an overview of the CHANGING DATA QUALITY Low Saturation Gas (19 %) Shale or Marl (7)
tion gas (1-30 % gas) in porous and Figure 8: Wet sands form 51 %
permeable reservoir sands. Excludes share of other factors contributing to The DHI consortium keeps an impres- Shales (21) of the cases where a DHI was
Tight Reservoir (9 %)
gas charged shales and tight sands drilling dry holes. sive database (The Seismic Amplitude Coal (3) incorrectly interpreted as a
“You can get a response from a wet Analysis Module, SAAM) of 415 wells hydrocarbon indication (left
CO₂ (2 %)
Ash-rich graph). Looking at the failures
Hard streak above or within wet sand,” continues Rocky, “but if you that have all been assessed and risked where a lack of reservoir formed
0 20 40 60 80 100 sandstone (1) Siltstone
sands
don’t know anything else, and it is a in the same way. Not only for AVO, Number of Failures (3) the root cause, it is shales that are
most frequently found in those
Amplitude caused by sharp onset or Class 3 AVO with a small gradient in but also for other DHI Characteristics cases (right). Data based on
increase in overpressure a frontier area without any calibration such as brights spots, flat spots, down- analysis by the DHI Consortium.
points, it will be hard to make a differ- dip conformance and phase reversal Figure 8
Salt, volcanics, or carbonates Wet sands form 51% of the cases where a DHI
entiation between a gas or water-bear- amongst others. A geological chance
(polarity or convolution issue) was incorrectly interpreted as a hydrocarbon
ing sand. Sometimes you are just in of success is also assessed to ultimately long ago.(left
indication The overall
graph). DHIat Index
Looking of
the failures says Rocky. “Maybe you could map a “But quantum computing is maybe
the margin of error bars. That’s why determine the final calibrated chance of the prospect came out at 22 %,
where a lack of reservoir formed the root with structure, but surely you wouldn’t be- coming to the rescue. Last year alone,
Diagenetic boundary or unconformity
we always try to look at as many char- geological success for the prospect. the AVO
cause, part being
it is shales that are13 %.frequently
most That’s on found lieve the amplitudes. But it is thanks I saw four papers being published on
acteristics as we can to find further ev- The database is a powerful tool to re- in those cases (right). Data based
the edge of being too AVO driven,” on analysis to new technology, primarily FWI the use of quantum computing in geo-
CO₂ or nitrogen
idence of hydrocarbons.” view, rank and evaluate the world’s most by the DHIHenry.
explains Consortium.
“We want a prospect and the application of ocean bottom physics. The use of quantum comput-
Tuning effects “Once we drilled four thick wet important exploration wells, but in or- to have a healthy mix of DHI factors.” nodes, that we are slowly getting more ing for seismic imaging and modelling
Lateral change in lithology, rock
sands in a row with Noble,” says Hen- der to properly compare them, one must confidence in the quality of sub-salt is in its infancy, but the largest tech-
properties or thickness ry, “which obviously raised some eye- be mindful of the change in data quality WHERE ARE WE GOING? seismic imaging for amplitudes. May- nology companies and governments
brows in the company. So, I called that has taken place over the years. Kenny Goh, a geophysicist who re- be, in a few years time, we will be just are committing billions of dollars to
Imaging complications - focusing Rocky in as a consultant at the time “The gathers and overall data cently commented on one of our as confident risking prospects sub-salt resolve the issues to make it work.”
and defocusing
to have a more detailed look at it. We quality we see today are superior to LinkedIn posts, wrote: “ExxonMo- as we are post-salt.” “To me, it is extremely exciting to
Unexpected change in properties of had a discovery called Isabela, with what we saw at the start of our con- bil geophysicists mentioned to me “Computing power is still the follow these developments,” concludes
the bounding lithology (top or bottom) another prospect on the flank of the sortium 25 years ago. During the first that they do not believe that AVO challenge to make incremental im- Rocky, “as it has the potential to pro-
that affects the amplitude response same four-way structure. It looked all five years, we hardly saw any gathers responses at 2,200 m below mudline provements to the seismic though, duce phenomenal results once the
good, with an element of stratigraphic at all, because they were too expensive and 2,400 m water depth in Jubilee especially sub-salt” adds Rocky. “FWI quantum computing code is cracked.
Figure
Figure 6:6Checklist of most common pitfalls for trapping that we were confident about, to generate,” says Rocky. “If you don’t are correct or real.” is an optimisation process that is com- Imagine a future where elastic FWI is
interpretingofDHI’s
Checklist mostand associated
common AVOforeffects.
pitfalls Can
interpret-
these
ing pitfalls
DHI’s andcause amplitudeAVO
associated and AVO features
effects. Can and a similar AVO response as the Is- correct for data quality somehow, you So, I asked Rocky what his take on putationally expensive, and processing routine and DHI analysis, including
that can
these be misinterpreted
pitfalls to be DHI’s?
cause amplitude and AVONote: LSG abela find. However, this prospect can have a good prospect with bad it is. “As rocks get buried deeper and for sub-salt imaging routinely takes AVO evaluation, incorporates data far
does produce a hydrocarbon effect, but usually
features that can be misinterpreted to be DHI’s?
indicative of a seal or trap failure. came in dry. It was Rocky who then data having a poor ranking compared deeper,” Rocky explains, “they will months and months to complete.” superior to anything we have today.”
Note: LSG does produce a hydrocarbon effect, identified that the rock properties of to a bad prospect with good quality become harder and as such, the im-
but usually indicative of a seal or trap failure.
the topseal changed from one well to data. That’s why we introduced the pedance contrasts between them will
the other, and this is what caused the data quality score, which aims to ac- gradually decrease. So the presence
AVO IN CARBONATES – AN INDIRECT HYDROCARBON INDICATOR
AVO Portion of DHI Index versus Success Rate AVO response in the downflank pros- count for variations in data quality, of hydrocarbons may not produce
Based on 213 drilled prospects “You’re opening up a whole different subtopic here,” says Henry when I ask him
100% Prospects with >60 % of pect, rather than a gas-filled sand. It especially when risking prospects of an anomaly. That’s where the Class about the role of DHIs and AVO in carbonates. “However, we always get asked
the DHI Index (uplift)
coming from AVO have opened my eyes, as it was such a good different seismic vintages.” 1 AVO response comes in, where the about it during presentations, and we will present on the topic at the upcoming
80% an average
example of non-uniqueness and sim- “But at the same time, even with reservoir is very compacted and as a IMAGE Conference in Houston, so it is definitely a hot topic.”
success rate of <50 %
At the basis of it all, the AVO classification for sands simply does not apply to
Success Rate

60% ply how the rocks determine it all.” the advancements of better data, a lot result, the fluid effect on the AVO re-
“Mind you, a few years later in of prospects today can be more compli- sponse is very small. For that reason, carbonates. The complex pore structure of carbonates tends to cause a scatter of
40% velocities, complicating the seismic quantification of the parameters. In addition,
Australia, something similar happened cated,” says Rocky. “Things don’t stand we have only seven Class 1 prospects carbonates often have a higher velocity heterogeneity and anisotropy than sands,
20% but, in this case, with a more positive out anymore as they used to. We have in our database.” which does not facilitate interpretation either.
outcome. It was the Enfield area, where got sub-salt prospects, stratigraphic “So when it comes to defining the “Against that backdrop,” Henry adds, “when people say that they found oil in
the discovered field had a nice bright prospects, all sorts of geological chal- DHI floor these days, as the depth lim- Paleozoic carbonates based on AVO, as that is what happened with quite some
%

%
20

40

60

80

00

Midcontinent discoveries in the past, I tend to believe that the AVO effect was
10

amplitude, but the nearby prospect lenges that we were not looking for it of direct hydrocarbon indicators is
>1
1-

-
21

41

61

-
81

due to enhanced porosity development in the carbonates rather than the fluid fill
Percentage of DHI Index from AVO that they were looking at didn’t have 25 years ago.” “And to that I can add that sometimes called, it really depends on itself. So in these cases, AVO should probably be seen as an indirect hydrocarbon
Figure 7 nearly as good an AVO response as the gathers are still not perfect,” says Henry. the basin you are in,” explains Rocky. indicator in carbonates at best, and no universal AVO classification scheme can
Figure
The AVO 7: The AVO
portion portion
of the overall DHIofIndex
the overall DHI Index
should
should notnot be high,
be too too high, as an analysis
as an analysis based based on discovery, despite the geology being “Things can look good, but that doesn’t “Subsalt makes that even more simply be applied to carbonates at the moment.”
on 213 drillled prospects has shown.
213 drillled prospects has shown. A signifi-
A significant drop similar. So the first thing that popped necessarily mean they are correct.” complicated. Up to a few years ago, “It is also telling that we only have five carbonate DHI examples in our database
cant drop in success rate takes place when
in success rate takes place when prospects rely on that consists of 415 wells.”
prospects rely on AVO for more than 60% of
AVO
the DHI for more
Index. thanDHI
Source: 60Consortium.
% of the DHI Index. Source: into my mind after seeing the variable Henry then pulls up a prospect there was a general consensus that
DHI Consortium. top-bounding shales in the wells was, drilled in the Gulf of Mexico not too you couldn’t believe DHIs subsalt,”

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OIL & GAS LO RO
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And all the while, hydrocarbons Why traffic light play maps are useless
are transitioning away from us De-risking one, or multiple play element(s) can have a big positive effect on a series of
initially high-risk prospects. This may lead to a situation where the most attractive prospect to
There is hope for frontier discoveries and hope for a reversal of declining production drill is in an area that would have been red in a traffic light map. Here is why
trends in mature basins. But how realistic is it?

W
H E N exploring a The outcome of using the split
new area, it is com- risking approach (where each polygon
”IT’S THE hope that keeps mon for E&P com- includes a shared play risk and a non-
us here,” wrote Neil Hodg- panies to produce shared ‘prospect’ risk) can be widely
son and the Searcher team traffic light maps, with red areas be- different from using a traffic light ap-
This is the third of a series of articles
the other day. He alluded to ing the ones where one of the key play proach. The main reason is that if one based on work and experience from
promising ultra-deepwater elements is missing, orange where one well demonstrates a play element to the GIS-Pax team in Australia, as
fields that are about to be is uncertain, and green where all ele- work in what would be a red area, it presented by Ian Longley in a series
of videos on LinkedIn.
discovered. ments are thought to be present. can impact multiple other prospects in
Hope also filtered However, the fundamental flaw of that same red polygon. Notably, this
through in the words of working with this methodology is that a only applies if the risk for one prospect a success would deliver a commercial
people as they commented traffic light map only considers risk. No also applies to the others in the same volume), which is the one that most
on the news of an agreement exploration decisions are made on risk red polygon. people would have chosen if relying
reached in the Netherlands alone, it is always the combination of The example shows a map of on a traffic light approach.
between the government, risk and reward (volumes). Only focus- three zones, which could have been This clearly shows the value of prop-
state oil and gas company ing on risk can lead to situations where interpreted as green, orange and red erly risking prospects, even in what
EBN and the Dutch in- the best prospects are, in fact, ignored. from south to north. However, look would be a red area when using a traffic
dustry association Element What should be done instead, is to at the risked volumes, and what hap- light approach. If anything, this exam-
NL to produce more gas link risk and a reward in all polygons pens when a well proves prospect C ple shows that using a traffic light ap-
from the offshore. Graham in a play map and perform a ranking to work? This then subsequently de- proach is dangerous and unjustified.
Goffey worded it as follows: in that way. It is called split risk play risks seven other prospects within Henk Kombrink
“This is what pragmatic cli- In the early days of exploration, geologists just put the wells they drilled on road maps. Quite an elegant way of working! mapping, and it is the only play-based the same polygon, which means that
mate leadership looks like… exploration methodology that fully the combined risked upside of this
trust the sensible Dutch.” integrates both risk and reward and cluster of small prospects amounts to More detail on this
approach can be seen
Hope is also what keeps change that. Because it is to facilitate more explora- the hydrocarbons are indeed has been around for a long time. That 115 MMboe. That is a lot more than
in the accompanying
the Norwegians drilling not a government policy or tion is rather to manage the transitioning away from us. doesn’t mean it is a widely-recognised the risked potential of prospect B (12 video of the GIS-pax
around 40 exploration wells tighter EU rules that have decline better. It is a hard reality, and any methodology, though. MMboe and the only prospect where LinkedIn Site:
per year. resulted in the dramatic The big volumes ain’t agreements to ramp up ex-
But why is Norway also decline in offshore gas pro- there anymore. ploration in very mature ar- Area where play and reservoir A

Risked potential (MMboe)

16
keen on developing a sea- duction – like it was for Yes, of course, there eas will very unlikely reverse interpreted to be present
C D G
bed minerals industry at the Groningen. It is the natural is always something to be that trend. It is that obser- E 12

same time? They see that decline of the fields them- found. That’s in fact what vation that should, in fact, H
Red J F I 8
peak oil and gas production selves. So, when people an- the Norwegians prove be a main driver for the en- Play Risk 25%
is near, and without a Johan ticipate that gas production through their near-field ergy transition, especially in 4

Sverdrup-sized discovery, is going to ramp up signifi- drilling that has dominated light of the much-discussed 0
Orange A B C J
the trend is clear. cantly as a result, it is a dis- the exploration landscape security of supply.
“Hydrocarbons are tran- appointment in the making. for quite a few years now. That’s not to say the Well with Play Risk 50%
B Risked volumes for each individual prospect
play absent
P H O T O G R A P H Y: H E N K K O M B R I N K

sitioning away from us.” It is That is what I miss in But these additional re- agreement reached in the Plunging nose Risked volumes added to the portfolio in a
what Rodney Garrard wrote the public debate that re- sources are small. Netherlands is useless. It Well with success case, through de-risking other pros-
in one of his columns for us sults from events like this. What petroleum ge- hopefully allows the current reservoir pects in the same risk polygon as the success
last year. And I believe he There is never any mention ologists also need to com- offshore players to finally present
Green
A A’
has a good point. that the big boys started municate to the public is get on with their plans more HC Pool Play Risk 100%
It is also the basis for the selling assets years ago for the fact that it is not only efficiently, which is needed
situation the Netherlands a reason; the volumes were accelerated climate change and welcomed. That’s where Prospect
finds itself in. The agree- simply not there anymore. that forms a stick to move its power really lies. A
Mature source kitchen
ment will not materially Anything that will be done away from hydrocarbons; Henk Kombrink A’

28 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 29

OIL & GAS OIL & GAS

This may be a reason why were published that show the Saturn
Complex. These images allow for
sition of thin discontinuous sands on
the slope, while delivering more sub-
of this prospect with respect to the
shelf edge. In addition, the failure

Woodside decided not to farm in

making some inferences about the stantial reservoir sands further into scarp can in fact be seen in the seismic
reservoir architecture of the sedi- the basin. line that was also published by Pancon
ments in the Saturn Complex. Second, when taking a closer look (see below).

to PEL 87 in Namibia Looking at the time slice from

the Pancon report, which shows lead
at the amplitude responses within the
mapped prospects, there is something
If these prospects are in fact
slumped units rather than an undis-
within the Saturn Complex - Hy- else going on. Namely, some elongate turbed reservoir section, there is much
Seismic data suggest a more complex depositional architecture in the Saturn rax, one might at first think that it ridges can be observed that run paral- more of a risk of compartmentalisa-
Complex than what could have initially been foreseen represents channel-lobes complexes. lel to the paleo-shelf break – this can tion, which has detrimental effects on
However, two observations compli- particularly be seen to the south of reservoir connectedness. This is not
cate this observation. First of all, the the “Hyrax” label in the image (left). what companies will want to see in a

I
N M ARCH 2025, Sintana Energy position of these prospects is only a Considering the position of the Sat- deep-water frontier environment like
“broke” the news that Australi- few km from the shelf edge, which is urn Complex, these ridges could be Namibia, and might therefore have
an major Woodside decided not usually the steeper part of the slope. interpreted as slumps that formed as a been a reason for Woodside to leave
to exercise its right to farm into This is the area that is often prone to result of the shelf edge failing, which the area for what it is.
Licence PEL 87 in Namibian waters, sediment bypass, leading to the depo- is not unthinkable given the position Henk Kombrink
north of the Mopane discovery. The Moosehead-1

decision did not cause a lot of stir,

possibly because it was not a relin-
quishment as such. Still, it is not a Which prospect would you choose?
good sign to see a major company de- Mopane-1X
Kudu gas discovery
Flip to the next page to see the CSEM picture.
cide not to move ahead after spending Mangetti-1X
Cullinan-1X
a significant amount on a high-spec Nara-1X
Jonker-1A Gas
Lesedi-1X Oil & Gas
3D seismic survey across PEL 87, in
4 5
Venus-1A LaRona-1X Dry

3
Dry hole with oil shows
which Pancontinental is the main Graff-1X

2
Dry hole with gas shows
Enigma-1A
operator (75 %), partnered by Custos Prospects and discoveries

(15 %, in which Sintana has a 49 %

direct interest) and Namcor (10 %). 100 km
1
The most important prospective
Source digital elevation model: The GEBCO Grid

area within PEL 87 is the Saturn

Complex, the size of which matches
or even supersedes the extent of the
discoveries a little further south. This
then begs the question: What made
Seismic section over
Woodside decide not to embark on a several prospects
Namibian adventure?
There is likely a subsurface ele-
1385km2
ment at play that caused the compa-
ny to make this call, even though it
S O U R C E : P A N C O N T I N E N T A L H A L F Y E A R R E P O R T 2 0 24 4
cannot be ruled out that it was simply
a matter of reduced appetite to go for
something frontier and enter a new
country. But let’s focus on the sub- 1 2
surface here. There are some seismic
sections available from PEL 87 that
may actually hint at a more complex 5
subsurface setting than what might
initially be assumed. This was flagged HYRAX
to me by geologist Jamie Vinnels last
month. 3
Seismic amplitude
In the latest Pancon (Panconti-
nental) Half Year report, some inter-
N 10 km 1385 km 2
extraction map over
preted seismic lines and time slices Hyrax leads in the Saturn Complex, showing ultra-far seismic offset AVO response.
reservoir tops

30 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 31

OIL & GAS OIL & GAS

Romania – will there finally In 2015, about 400,000 km 2 was surveyed; in 2024, it
stood at slightly north of 200,000 km 2.
So, I guess it will be difficult to predict the future,
but what is more certain is that the global prospect port-

be a new bid round? “It is a tough game the industry is in,” said Graeme at
the start, “and these numbers are probably the reason why
the business is tough.”
folio is drying up this way. In support of that, Graeme
showed that from the moment a survey is acquired,
the success rate of wells drilled on that survey drops
With the last bid round ages ago, it will be about time for another one to be held, with recent Then the question can be asked, are we now at a turn- off after five years. This probably relates to the obser-
ing point towards an increase in surveying activity in the vation that a good prospect will stand out on a new ac-
rumours pointing in that direction. But will this turn the tide of overall inertia in the country? years to come, or is it a matter of continued decline? quisition, forming an immediate momentum to drill
When looking at high-impact exploration drilling ac- and not wait. If there is no obvious candidate, there

R
O M A N I A used to be Europe’s 2011. If you compare that to coun- that region, which suggests that the tivity over the same period, it is very hard to see a trend. is more of a chance for the data to be “forgotten” for a
stronghold when it comes to tries like Hungary and Ukraine, arrival of this technology is late in Where trends in oil price and the number of exploration little while.
oil production. But it’s not where there are two licensing rounds that part of the world and another wells drilled was nicely coupled, despite there being a small It will be really interesting to see how the industry is
anymore today. That’s not per year, and with other neighbour- sign that progress has been slow. And time-lag, that relationship broke down around 2020. Oil developing over the next few years, but if there is a trend
because the country has run out of ing countries having open-door poli- this is against a backdrop of a com- prices rose again after the Covid slump, but the number that provides ammunition to those wanting to see the end
oil or gas - see the important Nep- cies, the conclusion is obvious. plex foreland compressional regime, of wells drilled has not and stabilised at most. “Capital of high-impact exploration, at least by the IOC’s, it is the
tun gas field development offshore; There are two main petroleum requiring 3D for better prospect discipline at times of enhanced volatility” is how Graeme graph shown here.
it also has something to do with the provinces in Romania – the south- mapping and exploration. called it. Henk Kombrink
lack of activity regarding further ern and eastern Carpathians. In the So, will there be another bid
drilling or development. “Romania south, exploration potential seems round soon? According to a person I
is the sad part of Europe’s oil and quite limited and is mostly focused spoke to on the matter, it is not the
gas story,” said someone I spoke to at on undrilled compartments close to first time that these rumours have Which prospect would you choose now?
the BEOS Conference in London the existing fields, but in the east, there circulated, and many people don’t Flip to the previous page to see the seismic.
other day. is more potential, also when it comes count on it at all. “No one will be-
The most telling statistic when it to exploring new plays. However, it lieve until it is published in the offi-
comes to inactivity is the fact that the was only a few years ago that the first cial gazette,” he concluded.
last onshore bid round took place in 3D seismic survey was acquired in Henk Kombrink
3 4 5
2
1

At the start of the next super-cycle or

halfway to rock-bottom? CSEM data overlaid
The total annual areal extent of seismic surveys has rapidly declined over the past ten years seismic section

R E D R AW N A F T E R W E ST W O O D G LO B A L E N E R G Y G R O U P A N D S E I S I N T E L

A
Norway, the UK Continental Shelf
PA R T F R O M
saw the highest number of seismic surveys ac-
450
Coverage
Thousand km2
Coverage by purpose
4
quired when looking at a global overview over 400 Academic / other 72%
the past ten years. Is that something to cherish Production / development
350 Near field exploration / appraisal
as a UK exploration community and use as proof that
1
High impact exploration
there is actually a lot going on?
Maybe not so much, when listening to Graeme Bag-
300 New energies
2
ley’s presentation at the Seismic Conference in Aber- 250
deen the other day. “Most of these surveys were postage
200
5
stamps,” he said when I spoke to him afterwards.
This observation seems to correspond with a glob- 150
al trend when looking at overall seismic acquisition ac-
tivity over the past ten years, as Graeme illustrated in 100 3
several ways through the work performed by his col- Average resistivity
50
2020

2022

2023

2024

map over reservoir

2021
2016

2017

2019
2015

2018

leagues from Westwood Global Energy Group and

Seisintel. 0 interval

32 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 33

LC
FOEOARNTETUMERNEY TSP SM
XUXAMXR K E T I N G C O N T E NFLTEOA
M
RTEAUM
RRKEYESPTSIXN
UXM
G
X

GLOBAL GEOSCIENCE OUTLOOK FOR 2025: E&P WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE: THE DILEMMA
SETTING THE STAGE FOR YEARS TO COME The demand for hydrocarbons will continue, requiring
The energy industry is shifting in how it works, manages data, skilled professionals to find and produce resources. The
and makes operational decisions. Key themes for 2025 industry faces challenges in attracting new talent due to de-
include emerging technologies, sustainability, decarboniza- clining enrolments in petroleum engineering programs and
tion, evolving workforce skillsets, and global challenges in the societal pressure against working in the industry. Retaining
geopolitical landscape. Opportunities will center around new existing staff, ensuring they are up to speed with new tech-

The E&P industry of the future job roles in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), Geother-
mal, and Digital Transformation within the E&P sector. Several
nology, and attracting bright new staff with new skills and
capabilities are essential steps. Where will these staff come
factors will influence how this landscape evolves in 2025: from? There seems to be convergence in key areas:
The global energy landscape is undergoing profound transformation, shaped by
• The continued drive to harness the potential of da- • Providing routes into industry without pure geosci-
shifting market dynamics, technological advancements, and the accelerating need ence degrees
ta-driven decision-making, including the testing and
for sustainable energy solutions. The Exploration & Production (E&P) sector stands at scaling of autonomous systems already in development • Recruiting from regions that have increased their
the forefront of this evolution, navigating the complex interplay between operational • Evolution of the geoscience workforce as the sector geoscience academic offerings and working with
adapts to career development and skills evolution those institutions to help them deliver the best cours-
efficiency, resource optimization, and the broader energy transition. This brief, in order to create business advantage through es possible
produced by S&P Global Commodity Insights in collaboration with the European technologies such as AI • Building bigger teams local to resources where edu-
• Maximizing recovery through relentless focus on cation can be supported and there are additional
Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), explores the immediate benefits such as meeting local content requirements
excellence in reservoir optimisation
opportunities in 2025 and the long-term transformations that will define the industry • Continued innovation in subsurface data (e.g. seis- • Understanding the demographics of teams a dec-
over the next five to ten years. mic) and technologies ade from now and maximising knowledge retention
in E&P organisations through both technology and
RACHAEL MORELAND, VP GLOBAL ENERGY SOFTWARE & INNOVATION LEAD AI, automation, and digitalization are transforming people before the opportunity is lost
the E&P industry. It is being tested and applied in many
workflows, from strategic settings such as portfolio manage- E&P TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
AN INDUSTRY IN TRANSITION OR such as expected continued demand beyond 2050, work- ment through to technical applications such as predictive Technological innovations have significantly impacted
TRANSFORMATION? force demographics and capabilities by 2035, and the role analytics, seismic interpretation, reservoir modelling, and the E&P industry, focusing on enhancing efficiency and
The upstream E&P sector has faced challenges over the last of technology in achieving returns on investments. Figure 1 production optimization. Over the next five years, AI-driven developing new capabilities. Recent improvements include
decade, including a downturn, the energy transition, and shows the S&P Global Energy Scenarios liquids demand up geoscience models will improve subsurface imaging, re- seismic acquisition, wellbore, and reservoir technologies.
COVID-19. The industry is resilient but must address ques- to 2050, highlighting the "Inflections" scenario with peak duce exploration risks, and enhance resource identification. Digital transformation has also led to advancements in
tions about its future shape and size as it considers factors demand around 2029 followed by a gentle decline. AI-powered automation will optimize drilling parameters, exploration and production workflows, data retrieval and
and AI will play a crucial role in emissions monitoring and processing, and increased innovation cycles.
carbon capture initiatives. Different types of companies across the Upstream space
Global oil (liquids) demand, Exploration drilling and resource discovery potentially vary on their technology development strategies. Figure 2
120
hit record lows in 2024, and whilst an uptick is possible in shows OFS companies have shifted focus to wells and subsur-
2010 - 2050 (million b/d) 2025, there is a real risk that secure, diverse production at face, while IOC operators align strategy with development,
the required levels might be difficult by the late 2030s. This and NOCs emphasize subsurface and enhanced recovery.
100 Digitalization and automation remain consistent priorities
is a combination of stranded resources (transition regula-
tion, cost, GHG intensity) and low discovery rates allied across the industry.
with reducing returns from established technical reserves The exploration and production (E&P) industry is under-
80 replacement approaches such as enhanced oil recovery going a profound transformation, driven by advancements
CAGR or infrastructure-led exploration. If the industry accepts in artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and digitalization.
that exploration is needed to add material reserves back Technology innovation and areas of investment will rapidly
History: (2010-23) 1.2 % change with the next few years being pivotal in defining
60 into market, then it might struggle to do so through highly
mature basins, meaning that risks associated with finding areas of rapid AI development and adoption. As operators
Outlooks (2023-50)
new reserves increase. The jury is still out on the return of and service companies strive to enhance efficiency, opti-
Inflections -0.3 % exploration, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that mize reservoir management, and reduce operational costs,
40
Green Rules: -1.9 % new strategies and approaches are needed. AI is increasingly becoming a core enabler of technological
This is a sector and workforce that continues to innovate evolution in this space.
Discord: 0.1 %
History and evolve commercially and technically against a back-
20 ACCS: -2.8 % drop of reduced budgets for exploration, increased regula- ENERGY DIVERSIFICATION FOR A PROFITABLE
Inflections ENERGY TRANSITION
MTM: -3.3 % tion, a push to shorten times (e.g. the typical 8-10 years of
Green Rules an offshore cycle from licensing to production) against an Energy companies are diversifying their portfolios beyond
0 uncertain monetization pathway and continued M&A activ- traditional oil and gas as part of broader energy transition
2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 ity. It’s fine to ask or encourage geoscience to evolve faster strategies. This includes investments in CCS technology,
Figure 1: S&P Global Commodity Insights Scenarios, July 2024. but good leadership is needed to really enable this. renewable energy, and green hydrogen. The out-

34 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 35

LF O
C EOARNTETUMERNEY TSP SM
XUXAMXR K E T I N G LOREM YPSUM

%
Upstream oil and gas technology development focus areas categories by company type
35
Subsurface and imaging Well construction and intervention Facilities Recovery Digital and automation 72%

30

25

20 NCS
15
Exploration
10
Strategy
5

0
IOC NOC Midsize OFS EPC
Data compiled September 19, 2024.
Based on 576 discrete technology records of 8 IOCs, 1,061 records of 21 NOCs, 472 records of 17 Midsize companies, 794 records of 17 OFSs and 177 records of 6 EPCs.
Source: S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Figure 2: Upstream oil and gas technology development focus areas. S&P Global Commodity Insights, September 2019.

look for carbon sequestration projects is optimistic, with S&P Global Commodity Insights, its affiliates and all of their
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36 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 37

EXPLOR ATION OPPORTUNITIES C O N T E NCONTENT
T M A R KMARKETING
ETING

Geological understanding
Highlights:​
• New high-quality seismic and FWI velocity attributes to identify pe-
troleum plays and prospects​

based on new data is • Refinement of sedimentary systems and sand deposits in regions with
complex geology​
• Identification and mapping of deep-water Paleogene source-to-sink

required to unlock potential sedimentary systems​

• New understanding of volcanic basin processes and deposits​
• Interaction between volcanic rocks / sill intrusions and sediments​

in the Vøring Basin

TGS 3D seismic
data coverage in
• Maturation and focused migration of hydrocarbons from deep- the Norwegian
Sea.
er structures to shallow reservoirs in hydrothermal vent com- PGS23M02NWS

TGS has taken another step forward for new exploration in the frontier Vøring Basin plexes (HTVC)​ GeoStreamer
3D seismic

acquiring 10,000 km2 GeoStreamer 3D seismic using state-of-the-art broadband • Tie to industry and scientific boreholes and seabed sampling loca- and location
of composite

processing and imaging technology. tions foldout line.

Gullstjerne Obelix
Lithostratigraphy Gullris
Hol.
Pleis.
Plio.
Naust Irpa Gjallar
Molo
Kai
Miocene

Molo
Kai Fm

Brygge Fm
Oligocene

Brygge

Brygge Fm
Eocene

Brygge

Brygge
Tare Fm
Balder equiv.
(intra - Tare) Springar Fm
Tang Fm
v v v v v v v v
Tare
Paleocene

? Tang
Egga
Hydrothermal
Springar Fm submarine fan system vent complex
Springar Fm
Late Cretaceous

Springar

Nise
Kvintos Nise Fm
TD 3640 m ca 100 m above a Nise Fm
Blålange Sill
saucer shaped sill near a HTVC
Agat 272
Early Cretaceous

Sola

0
Åsgard
Seismic arbline from Gullris to Gjallar Ridge
-272
The composite line is from the newly acquired PGS23M02NWS 3D survey. The line passes near five wells in the Vøring Basin, from Gullstjerne 14 km east of the
Balderbrå discovery to 6704/12-1 on the Gjallar Ridge. The primary drilling targets were sand units in Springar Formation. Gullstjerne and Gullris were both
associated with a class III AVO anomaly believed to be related to gas bearing turbidites, but the wells were dry. Obelix was a gas discovery estimated to contain
12.6-69.2 million barrels of oil equivalent. The Irpa gas field was discovered in 2009. Production is planned to start in 2026, and the field may extend the life of
Aasta Hansteen until 2039.

38 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025

EXPLOR ATION OPPORTUNITIES CONTENT MARKETING

Outer Vøring Basin -

Post-venting fluid-flow Top Vent
feature Vent fill

Paleo-seabed

what is required?
at the time of Inward-dipping Base Vent
venting beds

HTVC Conduit
Irpa
Fluid escape
JENS BENFEELDT AND REIDUN MYKLEBUST, TGS Sill tip
feature
Sill Aureole
Transgressive sill
margin
TO UNLOCK the prospectivity of the Outer Vøring Saucer Hydrothermal
Basin, TGS has acquired ~10,000 km2 of GeoS- shaped sill
vent
treamer multisensory broadband data using a wide- Figure 2: Seismic
tow triple source configuration and two long tails characteristics of
Figure 1a: Irpa gas discovery (proven in 2009) is located above a
for FWI (full-waveform inversion) processing. This deep saucer-shaped sill connected to a HTVC less than 2 km from
hydrothermal vent
complex (HTVC). Inset
new dataset is the latest piece of the comprehensive the well. Obelix Upflank discovery is located 20 km further south,

FEATURES
fig from Manton et al.,
TGS Atlantic Margin data library, covering the Faroe and is situated in a similar geological setting close to sill intrusions
2022. Vent conduit with
and hydrothermal vent complexes.
Shetland Basin to the Norwegian Sea. a conical geometry has
disrupted reflections
During the last decade, there has been a shift to of variable amplitude.
larger 3D surveys, which is important for the new Post-venting fluid-flow
geological understanding. From 2017 to 2020, TGS features are image in the
velocities. Gas leakage
acquired more than 55,000 km2 in the Møre and HTVC may correlate with
Vøring basins, providing new insight and knowledge velocity inversion.
“The new zonation I have been able to
Irpa
of the prospectivity along the whole mid-Norwegian Schematic figure:
Manton et al., 2022.
continental shelf. ​
The PGS23M02NWS addition to the Atlantic Sill define is therefore a great addition to our
deep-water source-to-sink vent complexes suggest that
Margin is a high-quality GeoStreamer volume which
combines multisensory broadband and wide-tow sedimentary systems related to they have been re-used for fluid knowledge of the Triassic in the Southern
the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal migration long after their for-
triple source efficiency with the latest processing tech-
Maximum.​ mation. (Manton, et.al., 2019). North Sea…”
nology and velocity model building to improve the Figure 1b: The sill complex correlates with high seismic velocity,
subsurface imaging, its complexities and potential. whereas the HTVC is associated with lower seismic velocities in the Over the last decade, more Internal structures of the vent
Pre-stack depth migration (PSDM) combined with dome structure. Low velocity might be an indication of gas and thus than 800 hydrothermal vent complexes are now possible Niall Paterson – CASP
a good guide for mapping fluid migration not clearly visible on the complexes (HTVC) have been to interpret in detail on the new
full-waveform inversion (FWI) makes a major differ- seismic profile.
ence for the interpretation and mapping of hydrocar- identified in the Vøring Basin, data and will contribute further
bon deposits and for discrimination between volcanic A Vintage data
and some of them studied in to the knowledge of these.​
rocks and sediments​. panies, and the government in joint research projects, great detail. A schematic from ​Sills display a large vari-
leading to the publication to new geological models Manton et al. (2022) is shown ation in geometries and sizes
GEOLOGICAL SETTING and research results. The Paleogene continental in Figure 2. These studies have and the emplacement process-
AND OPPORTUNITIES​ breakup and ocean formation is an important event led to a better understanding es lead to complex geometries
For more than three decades the Outer Vøring Ba- in this geologically complex area, as it impacted the of their formation and long- in the Vøring Basin. Sills can
sin has been explored, experiencing increasing or sedimentary systems going from shallow to deep ma- term impact on fluid migration vary from a few meters in thick-
decreasing industry interest depending on recent well rine environments with bottom currents and sedimen- and petroleum systems. The vent ness to a couple of hundred
results and resource estimates. The area was without tary drift deposits. To further improve the exploration complexes were formed due to meters and they are observed
infrastructure, and it took 21 years before the 1997 success in the Vøring Basin, an understanding of the pressure build-up in metamor- to merge into one or split into
Luva discovery, now a part of the Aasta Hansteen volcanic margin deposits and processes is essential. B New PSDM phic aureoles around the hot several sheets. They may clear-
Field, to come online in 2018 after the construction Short-term effects of the magma emplacement includ- magma intrusions. ly impact both seismic imaging
of the Polarled pipeline. Recent discoveries such ed deformation, uplift, heating of host rock, petro- 56 millions years ago, mainly and potential hydrocarbon
as the Obelix Upflank (2023) and Haydn (2024) leum maturation and differential compaction. The by explosive eruption of gases, reservoirs, The intrusive sill
have again spurred interest in the area potentially recent results from the IODP Expedition 396 drilling liquids and sediments, forming complexes can more easily be
extending the life of Aasta Hansteen by seven years. campaign in 2021 may provide new documentation craters at the seafloor. Most recognized and risk-evaluated
Besides the infrastructure in place, what other factors and constrain on the Paleogene breakup magmatism of them are located at the Top on the new seismic data. Deep
have changed to renew the industry interest? ​ which should be beneficial for the explorationists Paleocene level (Planke et al., sills which were poorly imaged
“Norwegian gas is in high demand and is crucial working in this area.​ 2004). The conduits between on vintage data can now be
to Europe’s energy security. That’s why it’s important The Gjallar Ridge, covered by the PGS23M02N- the sills and the vents are mapped with high confidence
for us to continue exploring and making new discov- WS, was a large pre-breakup structure. Sand C New PSDM with velocity important for fluid-migration and supported by velocity
eries so we can maintain a high level of deliveries” sourced from Greenland may have crossed the and potential for hydrocarbon contrast as seen in Figure 3.
Figure 3: New PSDM (B,C) showing improved sub-sill imaging. migration from deep structures The new data are crucial input
(ref: Equinor)​. Vøring transform margin to the Vigrid Syncline and Top and bottom of a 100 - 200 m thick sill ("Vivel Sill") can
Another important factor contributing to the Fenris Graben. ​ be interpreted with higher confidence and is also supported to shallower reservoirs. Mounds for basin and reservoir model-
change of exploration interest in the area could be With new high-resolution seismic data, inter- by high FWI velocities. Sub-sill structures and faulting have and seismic seep anomalies ling and can facilitate de-risk-
better definition compared to vintage data (A). located above the hydrothermal ing of prospects.
the cooperation between academia, petroleum com- preters will be able to map and explore in detail the

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Seismic data on the workbench

As the oil and gas industry is slowly shifting from acquiring lots of seismic
surveys to making the most of what currently exists, so are companies moving
into the domain of enhancing the quality and facilitating the handling of these
datasets. Anders Kihlberg, one of the people behind the development of
the Petrel software, is now working on a new generation of tools under the
umbrella of the OpenMind platform to do exactly that. Here, Anders and his
colleague Brit Sauar explain what the company’s plans are and what they have
been able to realise thus far

“MY GOA L is to equip explorationists

with a toolbox containing all relevant
algorithms to efficiently create optimal
seismic volumes for interpretation and
stratigraphical analysis,” says Anders,
who hails from Sweden but has been
part of the Norwegian generation of
successful entrepreneurs in the energy
service sector over the past decades. Original seismic Ajax seismic
“We want to simplify complex geo-
physics by making seismic post-stack
Figure 2. Seismic from a project offshore Namibia, showing improvement of the seismic after running the Ajax AI one-click function.
data improvement and optimalization
easily accessible to all interpreters.” Brit Sauar. Anders Kihlberg.
Anders continues to explain that cessing imaging tools, enabling users scale stratigraphic patterns that span
the majority of seismic volumes have to interactively, easily and efficiently the full extent of a volume.”
undergone mainstream pre-process- extract all available deterministic in- “These limitations have moti-
Input seismic ing. “The seismic character and qual- formation from the valuable seismic vated us to rethink our approach to
ity vary and in many cases are sub-op- volume,” adds Brit. multi-horizon and multi-zone inter-
timal for structural and stratigraphic pretation. When interpreters examine
interpretation,” he says. EXTRACTING GEOLOGICALLY a seismic section, their eyes are naturally
“We are therefore building an AI MEANINGFUL STRUCTURES drawn to broad, low-frequency features
interactive and stepwise process where- Anders and Brit have observed that de- - coherent reflections and first-order
Flow lines in the interpreter experiments with spite all the conversations around AI stratigraphic units that represent dep-
Extracted Geobody various seismic attributes, visual blends and machine learning, which certainly ositional cycles bounded by maximum
or physical blends, until a combination dominates much of the subsurface ge- flooding surfaces, unconformities, or
that gives the best result for efficient oscience narrative, challenges remain other major geological events. These
P H O T O G R A P H Y: B R I T S A U A R P R I V A T E A R C H I V E

seismic interpretation. We will intro- when applying deep learning to large- features are intuitive for humans to
duce a multi-attribute physical blend scale seismic interpretation. trace, yet they remain difficult for auto-
function, accompanied by a copilot “Neural networks are typically con- mated methods to extract consistently.
3D Flow Surfaces designed to guide and assist the inter- strained by memory limitations, requir- To address this, we introduce a
preter in determining the most suitable ing seismic 3D volumes to be subdivid- framework designed to automatically
Automatic Seismic seismic volume,” continues Anders. ed into smaller sub-cubes for training extract first-order sequences from a
Facies Mapping “Presently, many interpreters ac- and inference,” says Anders. “These seismic volume. Our approach begins
cept the provided seismic volume sub-volumes must then be stitched to- with spectral decomposition, empha-
without scrutinizing its data quality gether, often introducing discontinu- sizing low-frequency components to
and usability, mostly due to limited ities and mismatches. More critically, enhance the visibility of large-scale
project time. We provide the inter- this subdivision can obscure important stratigraphic units. These enhanced
Figure 1. Series of steps in the StratCracker process. A single zone is filtered out and displayed in the upper right corner. preter with all the necessary post-pro- geological context, especially for large- features are then interpreted

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Final Full-stack volume (historic convention of seismic data for display and interpretation). Here Input to OM conditioning. amplitude imbalance, or limited fre-
quency content - making image en-
hancement an important step for max-
imizing interpretability,” says Anders.
s
va tion “One-click AI functions such as Ajax,

a re ts and i nno are already available in OpenMind

sh sigh in
and prove to be very successful.”
“We are currently working on a
p ns
eloies & s
utio
so-called processing workbench de-
o l

devstrateg
signed to support both expert users and
non-experts to simplify and streamline
s
der
seismic image enhancement and mul-
lea
ec t y thoug h t ti-attribute volume creation, ultimately
nh ene g
Blend of Relative-imp, edge-sharpen, frequence re-balancing and fault likelihood with OM trace calculator. Example of

n
improving geological interpretation.”
o r reorganizing the information content in a full stack section.

0 2 5o
c wit o log
ies
To ensure scalability and perfor-
mance, the system supports batch
2 ch n
Oct aneir r & te
veence tren
job scheduling in the background,
3 s
o
d
t – de J c allowing users to launch and queue

30
e p
S Rio disgeosci processes without interrupting inter-
pretation work.
“A key capability of the work-
bench will be multi-attribute volume
blending, where several attributes such
iceevent.org Co-Hosted by: Sponsored by: as relative acoustic impedance, edge
sharpening, frequency rebalancing,
Figure 3. Blend of Relative impedance, edge-sharpening, frequency re-balancing and fault likelihood using and fault likelihood, combined into
the OpenMind trace calculator. a single enhanced output,” adds Brit.
“We can build these volumes today
HELD UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF HIS EXCELLENCY ABDEL FATTAH EL SISI, PRESIDENT OF THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT through a bit of a cumbersome process
through the reflection dip field, which select the most geologically relevant in the OpenMind trace calculator,
we treat like a fluid velocity field, gen- flowlines. These selected trajectories whilst we aim to streamline this func-
erating seismic flowlines that follow serve as seed lines for extension into tionality. This will produce volumes
30 MARCH - 1 APRIL 2026 CAIRO, EGYPT the underlying structural geometry of 3D, allowing us to automatically gen- that better highlight stratigraphic and
the seismic volumes. erate a multi-zone probability volume structural features than conventional
CALL FOR PAPERS Deadline For Abstract Submissions Flowlines capture the geometry of that reflects the underlying first-order full-stack displays.”

NOW OPEN
THURSDAY 5 JUNE 2025 seismic reflectors by integrating along seismic stratigraphy. Each zone can be Figure 3 demonstrates how such
egypes.com/cfp
the local dip, yielding dense networks visualized independently, colored, or blending enhances interpretation:
of trajectories. However, not all flow- filtered to support focused interpreta- Clearer reflector terminations, im-
20 TECHNICAL CONFERENCE CATEGORIES lines correspond to significant geologi- tion of specific intervals (Figure 1). proved fault visibility, and more bal-
NEW FOR 2026 NEW FOR 2026 NEW FOR 2026
cal features. To isolate those of interest, With this approach, we emphasize anced amplitude distributions. While
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
we apply a targeted “smart selection” the goal of identifying and extracting this specific attribute combination
strategy based on seismic attribute geologically meaningful structures, ad- produced optimal results for one pro-
DOWNSTREAM: DOWNSTREAM: UPSTREAM: UPSTREAM: GAS/LNG MIDSTREAM: OFFSHORE DECARBONISATION, HYDROGEN, RENEWABLE
REFINING
TECHNOLOGY,
PETROCHEMICALS
TECHNOLOGY AND
EXPLORATION OF
CONVENTIONAL
EXPLORATION OF
UNCONVENTIONAL
PROCESSING,
OPERATIONS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE,
TRANSPORTATION
AND SUBSEA
PRODUCTION,
ENERGY
TRANSITION AND
BIOFUELS,
ALTERNATIVE
ENERGY
(RE)
analysis along the flowlines themselves. vancing toward a more consistent and ject, every seismic volume is unique,
OPERATIONS AND OPERATIONS RESOURCES RESOURCES TECHNOLOGY AND STORAGE OPERATIONS AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY FUELS, NUCLEAR
MARKETING (REF) (PET) (CONV) (UNCOV) (GAS) (MID) TECHNOLOGY
(OS)
(DTE) (ALT) This workflow begins by comput- automated interpretation framework and the ability to experiment and tai-
NEW FOR 2026 NEW FOR 2026 ing seismic attributes along each flow- that also can be used for meaningful seis- lor blends is essential. The final output
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
line in a 2D seismic section. These at- mic attribute extraction and analysis.” of the workbench is a high-quality
tributes capture changes in reflection ZGY volume, fully compatible with
ENVIRONMENTAL ENERGY ECONOMICS, DIGITALISATION HEALTH PROJECT OPERATIONAL PEOPLE AND GEOSCIENCE OIL AND GAS DRILLING AND
SUSTAINABILITY
AND CLIMATE
GOVERNANCE,
AGREEMENTS
(DIGI) AND SAFETY
(HS)
MANAGEMENT
AND EXECUTION
EXCELLENCE
(OPEX)
TALENT
DEVELOPMENT
(GEO) FIELD
DEVELOPMENT
COMPLETIONS
(DC)
character and, when evaluated along THE WORKBENCH platforms like Petrel.”
CHANGE
(ESC)
AND FINANCE
(EGAF)
(PM) (PPL) (FD)
geologically meaningful paths, reveal Another thing the GeoMind team has This enables interpreters to seam-
lateral continuity and context that is in the pipeline relates to further en- lessly transition from enhancement
For enquiries contact: [email protected]
often missed in traditional, seismic hancement of seismic imaging quality. to interpretation, leveraging the im-
SUPPORTED BY ORGANISED BY amplitude analysis. “Post-stack seismic volumes often con- proved data quality directly within
We then identify breaks or con- tain valuable geological information their existing workflows.
trasts in these attribute profiles to that remains obscured due to noise, Henk Kombrink

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Investing in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Using western technology to arrest production decline
TAKO KONING, GEOLOGICAL CONSULTANT

C
O N DO R E N E RG I ES (“Con- In 1991, both Kazakhstan and Uz- country. LNG applications include
dor”) is a Canadian, Cal- bekistan gained independence from the rail locomotives, long-haul truck
gary-based, publicly listed Soviet Union. Kazakhstan has a pop- fleets, marine vessels, mining equip-
(Toronto Stock Exchange) ulation of 20 million and is producing ment, and municipal bus fleets. The
energy transition company focused on oil at a rate of 1.8 million barrels per total LNG fuel produced will have an
Central Asia. The company has distin- day. In 2024, Kazakhstan produced energy-equivalent volume of over one
guished itself by building significant 60 billion cubic meters of gas. Uzbeki- million liters of diesel daily, while re-
operations in Kazakhstan and Uzbek- stan, with a population of 36 million, in ducing CO2 emissions equivalent to
istan. Condor has over eighteen years 2024 produced 50 billion cubic meters removing more than 38,000 cars from
of experience operating in Central Asia. of gas and minimal volumes of oil. Uz- the road annually. These applications
Central Asia includes the re- bekistan is planning to produce more have all successfully used LNG fuel in
source-rich nations of Kazakhstan, Uz- gas but will keep most of it at home due other countries. Shoreline view of Aktau city, nestled along the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan.
bekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and to increasing domestic consumption Construction of this facility is on-
Turkmenistan, and the region has some including power generation, industrial going, and fabrication works are ex-
of the largest oil and gas fields in the uses and household heating. pected to be completed in the fourth These licenses are in a heavily faulted of Western Canada’s prolific Trias- on eight existing gas fields has not
world. In Kazakhstan, this includes giant quarter of 2025, with LNG produc- geothermally active region, allowing sic-age Charlie Lake and Mississip- only mitigated a 20 % annual natural
oil and gas fields such as Tengiz, Kasha- LNG IN KAZAKHSTAN tion expected in the first half of 2026. migration of mineralized brines into pian-age Midale Formation platform decline but yielded material produc-
gan, and Karachaganak. These fields Condor will be the first company to Carboniferous-age subsurface reser- carbonates. Condor’s strategy is to tion gains from the ongoing worko-
all have Western oil majors as partners, deliver Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) CRITICAL MINERALS LICENSES voirs. The licenses offer a significant apply proven Western Canadian tech- ver program and facilities upgrades.
including Chevron, Eni, Shell, TotalEn- in Kazakhstan. In 2024, the company IN KAZAKHSTAN opportunity to recover lithium, cesi- nology to abundant workover oppor- As a result, production volumes and
ergies and ExxonMobil. In Uzbekistan, received two natural gas allocations to In 2023, Kazakhstan awarded Condor um, manganese, rubidium and stron- tunities in order to grow production. revenues continue to increase quar-
this includes the giant Gazli gas-conden- be used as feed gas for the company’s with its first critical minerals license tium, minerals of critical importance In June 2024, the company com- ter-on-quarter, which is generating
sate field. Turkmenistan holds the giant modular LNG production facilities. covering 37,000 hectares. In February in the energy transition. menced with a multi-well workover positive netbacks. Results from our
Yolotan gas field. Central Asia lies in an The company is planning to construct 2025, a second contiguous license cov- campaign for the eight fields, includ- recently reprocessed 3D seismic data
optimum location with energy-hungry Kazakhstan’s first LNG facilities and ering 6,800 hectares was awarded to CONDOR IN UZBEKISTAN ing installing proven artificial lift is providing higher resolutions that
markets such as Europe to the west and produce, distribute, and sell LNG to Condor. The Company holds a 100 % In January 2024, Condor signed a equipment, perforating newly identi- should assist with more accurate-
China, India and Pakistan to the east. offset industrial diesel usage in the working interest in both licenses. production enhancement services con- fied pay intervals, and installing new ly characterizing the reservoirs and
tract with JSC Uzbekneftegaz to in- production tubing. Currently, two identifying new targets in prepa-
crease the production, ultimate recov- workover rigs are being utilized. Pro- ration for a 2025 infill vertical and
ery and overall system efficiency from duction averaged 11,175 boepd in the horizontal drilling program.”
an integrated cluster of eight conven- first quarter of 2025, resulting in Ca- More recently, using advanced
Karachaganak
tional natural gas-condensate fields in nadian $22.2 million sales (Q1 2025). cased-hole logging tools and the 3D
Uzbekistan. Giant-size gas fields sur- A very successful recent workover in- seismic data, Condor identified a Cre-

P H O T O G R A P H Y: E L L E O N Z E B O N V I A A D O B E S T O C K
round Condor’s operations, including creased overall production to 12,300 taceous channel sand which flowed at
KAZAKHSTAN
the Gazli field with gas reserves of 190 boepd in mid-March. At least six addi- 1,300 boepd on test. The company will
Kashagan Tengiz Bcm (23 TCF). Condor was the first tional well candidates have been iden- further evaluate these channel sands
Western strategic operating partner of tified with similar geological charac- as part of its 2025 infill drilling cam-
the national holding company. teristics using a combination of legacy paign. Condor Energies is expected to
Source digital elevation model: The GEBCO Grid

Prior to Condor’s participation in data and reprocessed 3D seismic data. continue to grow in Central Asia due
UZBEKISTAN the Uz field, production was averaging On March 20, 2025, Condor to its effective working relationships
Gazli
10,000 boepd (barrels of oil equivalent announced its 2024 Year-end Re- with the governments and national oil
per day) from the eight fields with ap- sults. Don Streu, President and CEO companies of Kazakhstan and Uzbeki-
proximately 80 active producing wells commented “For Condor 2024 was stan and application of proven and new
400 km
and 40 shut-in wells. Production is a transformational year. Our strat- technologies to produce LNG and hy-
from Upper Jurassic shelf carbonates. egy to implement multiple proven drocarbons, all at the doorstep of nu-
Cluster of eight fields currently operated by Condor is located here
The Uz reservoirs are larger analogues Western technologies in Uzbekistan merous energy-hungry markets.

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LC
FOEOARNTETUMERNEY TSP SM
XUXAMXR K E T I N G C O N T E NFLTEOA
M
RTEAUM
RRKEYESPTSIXN
UXM
G
X

The greater Caribbean Basin synthesis: relative geological changes have been
accounted for and captured efficient-
ly. This has significantly improved the
SW Dabajuro Platform Urumaco Trough NE

Exploring the bigger picture using modern migration of key structures, which
will develop the current view of the

reprocessed data prospectivity in these regions. Further

uplifts include undertaking a thorough
SWSRME process to improve the shal-
The Caribbean has always presented explorers with the challenging task of understanding low section as well as Q amplitude to
ensure the vintage data quality is best
the complex regional tectonics and the associated relationships with source and reservoir maximised for reprocessing.
deposition. Geoex MCG are currently utilising their unique position of having data
throughout the Caribbean by reprocessing existing legacy data to elucidate the subsurface PERLA DISCOVERY AND Figure 2: Reprocessed seismic line over Perla Discovery highlighting Oligo-Miocene structures and regional
FURTHER INSIGHTS unconformities.
in this region. Several volumes from producing areas are now finished, with additional data The first of such surveys that has been
NE Self-similar structures SW
ready to be added to this library in the coming months. Geoex MCG intend to leverage this reprocessed, shot in 1980, is located
north of Lake Maracaibo overlying the
understanding to encourage exploration in one of the world's truly last remaining frontiers Perla discovery. This area is renowned
MIKE POWNEY, GEOEX MCG, JULIAN SHERRIFF AND STEPHEN DOYLE, DUG for large oil discoveries, which have
produced in the order of 30 billion
bbls. However, Perla is particularly
UNDERSTANDING THE the case, one of which is the complex the North and South American plates unique in that it relies on a secondary
CARIBBEAN - DISCOVERIES geological landscape facing explor- behind an east-facing Great Arc of the source rock which is alternate to the La
CONFIRMED, POTENTIAL ers and the lack of modern data. Caribbean to its present position, but Luna interval associated with the Ma-
GROWING To truly understand the prospec- in order to constrain the timing of the racaibo discoveries. Oligo-Miocene
The Caribbean has a long-standing tivity of a region, explorers must first collision across the northern area of carbonates are invoked to provide
history of hydrocarbon exploration, understand the geological history and South America new seismic is required. the 17 TCF, which was discovered in
with most activity occuring within the how this has altered through time. This Geoex MCG have therefore embarked Figure 3: Reprocessed seismic line revealing self-similar structures in the offshore Orinoco Delta South of
2009 by Repsol. The survey has been existing discoveries.
region of Trinidad. Here, numerous is particularly important in an area such on an ambitious reprocessing cam- reviewed following the completion of
gas fields have been discovered, in- as the Caribbean, where a series of paign of a series of surveys in these key reprocessing and has revealed addi- complex in the region, which is subse- offshore region does, in fact, have
cluding the prolific fields of Chaconia, unanswered questions remain regard- locations to better evaluate the regional tional Oligo-Miocene type structures in quently juxtaposed by a prograding excellent prospectivity.
Hibiscus, Poinsettia, etc. Despite this ing the formation of the basins. It is tectonics and the subsequential link to close proximity, whereby the ampli- system. Understanding this system with
success, the rest of the Greater Carib- largely accepted that the Caribbean subsurface prospectivity. This has been tude response associated with these the reprocessed data will develop new CONCLUSIONS
bean has seen much less activity in the plate formed during the Late Creta- integrated into a wider portfolio of data alternate intervals has been directly insights and prove the prospectivity of Seismic data is knowledge. This is espe-
offshore domain in comparison. There ceous in the eastern Pacific region and (Figure 1) throughout the Caribbean, compared, with similarities evident. the distal Orinoco delta system. Here, cially the case in areas of more frontier
are several reasons why this may be then migrated eastwards relative to which has provided a deeper and Furthermore, the imaging (Figure 2) has the source rock invoked is the ‘Querec- exploration where reprocessed data
clearer understanding of the various im- provided further clarity on the relation- ual’ of Late Cretaceous age, which is can shed light into the potential implica-
pactful events in this emerging frontier. ships between the Dabajuro Platform the time equivalent of the infamous La tions of the tectonic history on the pro-
Reprocessed 2D 2025 (15,458 km) to the Urumaco Trough, which provides Luna source rock responsible for the spectivity. Having recently finished the
Greater Caribbean Basin Synthesis
MAXIMISING LEGACY DATA more insight into the locations of the aforementioned Maracaibo discoveries. reprocessing of these volumes, Geoex
– BESPOKE REPROCESSING largest sedimentary accumulation. From This area, as well as being topical MCG intend to integrate this data into
TO FORM THE REGIONAL a structural viewpoint, a large-scale un- of late following bp’s FID on the their already regional portfolio to fur-
UNDERSTANDING conformity can be seen throughout the Manakin-Cocuina fields, has been ther evaluate and constrain the tectonic
The surveys have followed an extensive line, which is likely to mark the interac- selected for reprocessing to better history with the view of developing
reprocessing workflow, undertaken tions of the regional tectonics, providing evaluate the wider potential of these areas that are likely to show improved
by DUG Technology, which has been a more precise timing constraint. fields in a more regional context. prospectivity. From the areas that have
adapted in a bespoke manner to deal Having evaluated numerous lines on been reprocessed so far, significant
with the various vintages (1980 - 1989) IMPROVING THE the survey, self-similar structures (Fig- insights have been generated regard-
and associated targets within the UNDERSTANDING OF THE ure 3) similar to the discoveries have ing the timing of tectonic events and
various geographies. The surveys in OFFSHORE ORINOCO DELTA been encountered, showing that the the associated prospectivity, with areas
question are now processed in both A secondary area of significance to prospectivity in this area continues to such as the Delta Amacuro region &
time and depth, with all associated the prospectivity story of the Greater the South of the existing drilling. These Northern Maracaibo showing excellent
products available, including gathers Caribbean is the SE of Trinidad. The are seen to have similar amplitude re- prospectivity. As this project develops,
and angle stacks. Modern reprocess- offshore Orinoco Delta / Colombus sponses that require further evaluation more data across the North of Southern
ing has involved the creation of an basin region has been characterised using the full suite of angle stacks and America will be reprocessed, providing
accurate velocity model undergoing by a series of discoveries. Similarly to gathers available to Geoex MCG, valuable insights that will contribute to
Figure 1: Map of the Greater Caribbean Basin Synthesis. three iterations to ensure that the the previous area, the tectonics are intimating that the Orinoco Delta this ever-evolving story.

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How a recently acquired mining core

became a new reference section for the
Triassic of the North Sea
IPTC SUMMIT AI FOR THE ENERGY INDUSTRY And the timing is right, because the Triassic is a key reservoir target for various carbon
13–14 JANUARY 2026 | DUBAI, UAE storage projects in the same area

I
Transforming Energy Through AI Innovation Intelligence Impact N NORTH Yorkshire, United King- area are very much the equivalents of It resulted in the collection of about
dom, a huge mine is being con- what is commonly found offshore. 600 samples, a detailed logging exercise
structed by AngloAmerican to For that reason, it was recognised by of the core, and a hand-held XRF scan-
produce polyhalite from an Up- geologists from CASP that the core of ning project to have a better grip on the
CALL FOR PROPOSALS per Permian evaporite succession. In the so-called SM14 borehole offered a bulk chemistry of the rocks.
order to design the shafts, a borehole great opportunity to better character-
Submission Deadline: 18 June 2025 was drilled to better understand the
overburden, which includes Triassic
ize not only the Bunter reservoir, but
also its sealing units. It is especially
A BETTER GRIP ON TIME
“The Triassic succession in the
http://go.spe.org/geo_ad_cfp_iptc_summit and Lower Jurassic rocks. The sec- the seals that have hardly been cored North Sea, especially the continental
tion was entirely cored along its full offshore, for obvious reasons, but even Bunter Sandstone and its more dis-
900 m length. This provides a unique cores from Triassic reservoirs are rare, tal playa lake equivalents, have been
dataset to understand the Triassic because the interval has never been a mostly considered barren in terms of
depositional system of the North Sea, major target in the UK North Sea. the microfossil content,” says Niall
even though it was not intended for "We're extremely grateful to An- Paterson, who has been working on
that purpose. gloAmerican for granting permission a new palyno-zonation of the Trias-

2025
Although the mine facilities are to access the SM14 core," says Steve sic based on the data from the SM14
obviously onshore, the Jurassic, Tri- Vincent, CASP's Chief Geologist, "it core. Another advantage of the core
assic and Zechstein successions in the really was a unique opportunity.” is that we don’t suffer from the

P H O T O G R A P H Y: C A S P

Visit www.underwaterminerals.org
to register and submit your abstract online.
UMC will take place at the Sirata Beach Resort. Logging of core SM14 in AngloAmerican’s core store in North Yorkshire.

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effects of caving, which happens a morphs; not only the mudstones but available from offshore cores as well, she
lot when relying on cutting materi- also the evaporitic intervals.” focused particularly on the distribution
al for doing palynological research. of cement in the sandstones, as this is
The new zonation we have been able CEMENT a main driver for the ultimate storage
to define is therefore a great addition Where Niall was mainly focused on the and injection potential. “Some people
to our knowledge of the Triassic in finer-grained lithologies in the SM14 may think that the top of the Bunter
the Southern North Sea, and rather core because of their microfossil recov- is always cemented by halite because of
than conventional wisdom that the ery, sedimentologist Michelle Shiers the overlying Röt evaporites,” says Mi-
Triassic is all barren, actually some of mainly looked at the sandstone itself. chelle. “We saw that the opposite is true
these formations are full of palyno- Using whatever material there was in some cases, revealing a more com-
plex diagenetic history than expected.”

THE SEAL
Going back to SM14, and it may sound
counterintuitive, but it is the sealing
units overlying the Bunter sandstone
that formed the real boon in this pro-
ject. “Combined with the wireline logs
that were available from the borehole
and the strength testing results, we
have a unique dataset covering the
equivalent of the sealing units of some
of the future carbon stores in the UK
Southern North Sea,” says Simon Sch-
neider, who has been involved with this
part of the project.

A SECONDARY SEAL
The sealing unit that sits on top of the MEDIA PARTNERS

Bunter reservoir is generally consid-

ered as just Triassic in age, but there is
a Lower Jurassic fine-grained succes-
sion that also forms part of the storage
complex, as well as being a primary seal
elsewhere. This Lower Jurassic interval
is not only present in the SM14 core,
but also in coastal outcrops not too
far away from where the core was cut.
That presented the CASP team with
54 plugs from the Haisborough Group of core SM14, prior to porosity-permeability testing.
the opportunity to both study the core
as well as the cliffs, such that a region-
al element could be introduced to the
overall seal assessment. “It allowed us
CASP to provide more tangible data when it
23 - 24 October 2025
The organisation now known as CASP originated in 1948, when Brian
Harland, also known for his work on the Geological Timescale and the
comes to the heterogeneities that char- Royal College of Physicians, London
Snowball Earth Concept, began the Cambridge Spitsbergen Expeditions acterise the Lower Jurassic succession,”
(CSE). Many senior figures in academia and industry gained early field says Colm Pierce, who worked on the
experience on these expeditions. CSE gave rise to the Cambridge Arctic outcrops and core, “which are ultimate-
Shelf Programme in 1975. Subsequently, CASP greatly increased its ly helpful to upscale into storage com- africa.ges-gb.org.uk
P H O T O G R A P H Y: C A S P

regional scope, diversifying its research to areas outside the Arctic for
conducting field-based geological research in frontier and under-explored plex performance models.”
basins. This has led to the accumulation of about 46,000 samples from all Should you be interested in knowing
over the world and a large analytical database. In more recent times, the
organisation has pivoted towards geological carbon storage research.
more about the study, please get in touch Book Early and Save Up to £150!
with the team at CASP.
Henk Kombrink Sponsorship & Exhibition Opportunities

54 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 55

FL O
E AR TE UMR EY SP SXUXMX FL EOARTEFUM
ERAEYTSPUSXRUXEM
X
S

Crafting a software that is ready iteration into our 4D software to understand what they
are getting from a full-scope FWI exercise, with the simple

for the future

reason that such a project costs more than six times what
used to be a reverse time migration cost four years ago.
Each iteration costs huge sums of money, and we can help
Herman Nieuwoudt and Bill Shea give an honest account of how to manoeuvre in a show what it’s delivering”.
"What concerns me more is the question of whether
changing subsurface software market and how being part of CMG fits into that narrative we’ve got the creativity, listening bandwidth and develop-
ment resources to meet the demands of an industry that is
moving ahead so fast.”

A
S M U C H as there is a consolidation happening Bill is still very driven to help shape Sharp Reflections’
in the large operator landscape and the seismic future under the CMG umbrella. “A lot of companies discard
acquisition space, the same applies to the subsur- founders straight away,” he says, but I saw a differentiating
face software business. element in CMG’s offer for me to stay on for a while. “We
“Let’s face it,” says Bill Shea from Sharp Reflections, “in a benefit a lot from the insights he brings to the table; not only
market where there is not an awful lot of natural expansion, when it comes to his own company, but also the wider per-
creating room for newcomers, only the strongest will win.” spective,” says Herman.
“A consolidation such as what we have now seen with
CMG, makes sense in such a market.” A BET
“Whether we will ever be able to knock Petrel out of the Herman van Nieuwoudt. "It is good to stay around, as it creates some continuity for the
park is another question,” he laughs. “Ultimately, they have business, and I value the confidence management has in me to
got resources we certainly don’t, but yeah, we are here to join be around for a little longer.”
the battle.” THE LOWER THE OIL PRICE, THE BETTER “We don’t overlap much, and although we don’t connect
Let me introduce Bill and Herman very briefly. Bill is the “Believe me, I know what a 60 dollar oil price means,” contin- like a glove, there is a lot of potential there.”
founder of Sharp Reflections, the company that has earned its ues Herman, who worked for Baker Hughes for many years. Henk Kombrink
mark in the time-efficient analysis of pre-stack and 4D seis- “But when looking at our niche in the market, the workload
mic data. Herman is the President of Bluware, the company doesn’t tend to decrease; it is the number of people who have
that is on the frontline when it comes to developing tools for to perform those tasks. So these people have to find ways to
seismic interpretation supported by AI. Both companies were become more efficient instead, which is where our software
recently acquired by CMG, which has a long tradition in res- Bill Shea. offering comes in. In addition, change usually happens in
ervoir simulation development. wartime, not at peacetime. In that sense, we are prepared for
some things to happen, as operational departments start to
A PLATFORM OR NOT A PLATFORM only if it was received from other users of the iMessage feel the squeeze from dipping oil prices. We see it as an oppor-
“Will this combination of companies lead to the establish- software. This created a backlash soon after, to the ex- tunity for the industry to adopt new tech.”
ment of a new platform that facilitates the workflow from tent that Apple opened up iMessenger to other non-Apple
seismic processing all the way to reservoir simulation?” I product users such that all messages are now shown in NEW TECH IN A FAST-MOVING SPACE
asked Herman. His response is probably very different from blue. Even Apple had to admit that an open architecture But how does the development of new tech work after an ac-
what people would have said ten years ago. is the way forward.” quisition of this kind? I asked Bill.
“We don’t believe in locking people into a platform, be- “Without pretending we are as big as Apple, there is a “I feel that we have been running a three-lap race,” he
cause there will then be compromises along the way. You parallel with the story nonetheless. We know that in order says, “with the first one being the establishment of the com-
will never be the best of everything,” Herman says. to stay competitive and attractive for companies and people pany as a start-up. Then, Equinor Ventures came on board, Connect with us!
“Instead, people should have the ability to do something to buy our software, we need to be open. That’s why one of which changed the game completely and shifted our concern [email protected]
else in another software, and seamlessly bring it back into my main concrete targets when it comes to the development from “do I have something the market wants, to how can I get www.energyedge.net
+65 6741 9927
our workflow again. That’s where CMG wants to go. It of our software is to make it even easier to dip in and dip more eyes on it.” The third lap, and that’s the one where we
started with the acquisition of Bluware, then Sharp Reflec- out of it in a seamless manner. If you don’t implement that, are in now, is the one in which we have the challenge of how
tions came in, and there will be others in the future. But we people will just not do it and strike a compromise towards to capitalize on the customer-base that CMG already has.”
will not become that single platform that people will not be something that just produces a good enough result.” “I’ll be the first to admit that our technology, which is ADVANCE YOUR CAREER WITH ENERGYEDGE TRAINING
able to work with flexibly.” That’s why Herman has spent quite some time lately with very much based on CPU and memory, may not have the UPSTREAM, MIDSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM ENGINEERING
SCIENCE & BUSINESS COURSES FOR ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS &
Looking at the subsurface tech industry as it is today, customers and prospective customers to identify where fric- future some of the GPU-based technologies have. There BUSINESS SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS
LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT & STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT COURSES
nobody wants to be locked into a single platform anymore. tion exists when it comes to creating seamless workflows. “I is a reason why NVDIA is one of the richest companies TECHNICAL TRAINING CONSULTANCY, COACHING, INDUSTRIAL
SITE VISITS & TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION DEVELOPMENT
This trend can be seen everywhere. thought it is interesting to see that in an industry that pro- out there.” DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION OF VIRTUAL LIVE TRAINING, E-
LEARNING AND VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) BASED LEARNING TRAINING
“Let’s look at the Apple iMessage debacle as an exam- duces most of the lubricants in the world, there is so much “But, at the same time, I am not worried about use SOLUTIONS

ple,” explains Herman. “Initially, the company attempted friction,” Herman says. “I see people working too hard for cases that suit our solution,” continues Bill. “Last week, EnergyEdge is a training division of Asia Edge Pte Ltd. AsiaEdge is an accredited CPD UK training provider and a recognised

to lock its users in by having blue bubbles for messages what their output is.” I visited a client who wanted us to put every frequency
member of the Energy Institute (UK). Our selected courses are accredited by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), The
Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), The United Kingdom Lubricants Association (UKLA), the International Council for
Machinery Lubrication (ICML) and the Institute of Asset Management (IAM).

56 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 57

EXPLOR ATION OPPORTUNITIES C O N T E NCONTENT
T M A R KMARKETING
ETING

The future has arrived

Figure 1: Location of the 3D seismic datasets acquired between 2022 and 2024 in the Orange and Pelotas Basins

Cyber Punk’s visionary pioneer William Gibson wrote, "The future has ar-
rived. It’s just not evenly distributed yet”. And certainly the future on the
Atlantic’s passive margins is not evenly distributed because the future there
lies in hybrid systems; gravity-driven clastic turbidite flows that have been
modified during and after deposition by coast-parallel contourite currents.

Gravity-driven turbidites were once assumed to be the dominant (even the

“only”) process controlling deep water sediment deposition, but in a re-
markable metaphor for modern life, it turns out that its the actions of unseen
cross-currents that gives shape to what is created. Indeed, contourites rarely
leave clear fingerprints on the deepwater sediments we see at outcrop, yet
they may have significantly altered the composition of the flow such that classic
turbidite Boumer sequences are not deposited at all. Removal of the fine sed-
iment fraction of a turbulent flow thereby increasing net sand of subsequently
deposited sediment (building mud and silt drifts at the same time), creation of
0 (km) 10 asymmetric levees in slope systems that lead to channel migration, evolution
of depositional topology on the slope and basin floor, and reworking, redis-
Depth converted East-West line from the Pelotas 2024 3D fast track seismic dataset. RMS extraction in a window below the regional pink horizon shows the tribution laterally of basin floor sediments are all products of the interactions
contourite dominated sand wave-like bedforms to the west and the turbidite dominated fan complexes to the east.
between gravity driven turbidite flows and contour following currents.

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EXPLOR ATION OPPORTUNITIES CONTENT MARKETING

Contourites: When everything going the unexpected identification of

contourite influence, immediately
above the Aptian source rock,
leaving coarser material to the SE
and finer sands to the NW.
Another bedform feature
have been redeposited by contour-
ite currents, in a similar way to the
Venus discovery.
sideways saves the day have both been observed
(Figure 3).
generated by contourite currents
is the sediment waves generated
Higher up in the sequence,
sand wave-like bedforms (see
In South Africa, the RMS by contourite currents. These can Foldout again) are interpreted to
Though complex in detail, hybrid systems become clearer at scale - amplitude distribution resembles a resemble progrades (see Figu- be associated with medium velocity
modern 2D and 3D deepwater data is reshaping how we interpret and bedform between undulatory rip- re 4) and be on a colossal scale contourite currents and medium
pursue deepwater reservoirs ples and sand dunes generated by (>500 m high in Uruguay’s Pelotas grain size sands. While to the east
medium velocity contourite currents basin) and have been interpreted an older fan complex seems to be
NEIL HODGSON, KARYNA RODRIGUEZ AND LAUREN FOUND, SEARCHER and medium grain size sands. In as aggrading slump units (ref. The unaffected by such a current.
contrast, to the north in Namibia, PEL97 discussion in GEO EXPRO Contourite thinking in explo-
the amplitude distribution is more Vol. 22, Issue 2, 2025). ration is an on-trend geoscience

PORTRAITS
SINCE 2022, all of the Multi-client largely de-risked by 3D imaging, then were just as layered, divided chaotic and irregular and resem- Searcher and Shearwater are innovation for hipsters. If you still
3D seismic acquired in the Or- offset wells, basin modelling vertically into slabs of equal den- bles bedforms formed by higher in the second season of acquisition feel the future is far away, then as
ange Basin of Namibia and the and most compellingly the large sity (isopycnals), as the modern velocity currents and associated of the only multi-client 3D in the Slaughterhouse-Fives’s visionary
Southern Pelotas Basins of Brazil number of commercial discov- Atlantic is, with limited interaction with coarser grain size. These Southern Pelotas Basin. The first author Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “be
(> 20,000 km2, Figure 1) have eries being made, then the main between these layers, which can observations have raised questions events overlying the source rock patient, your future will come
been acquired by Searcher, added value from modern 3D move separately. So, a given regarding the timing of the onset of are characterized by continuous to you and lie down at your feet
mostly with partner Shearwater, seismic is to analyse reservoir position on a slope at a given time contourite currents in the basin as and extensive amplitude anomalies like a dog who knows and loves
in response to recent exploration presence and effectiveness may have been sculpted by con- well as the process triggering them. with AVO Type III response. RMS you”. With huge mixed system
success in deeper water settings. risk. Two key frameworks are tourites flowing north, and other The early onset could explain the extractions over these events show fan complexes with AVO Type III “... the only reason why China is growing so rapidly
This has revealed for the first available for the analysis of the places on the slope either experi-
time the seismic character and dominant process in deposition: ence no contourite influence or a
outline of the Venus discovery, with
sediment sourced from the east and
North-South trending amalgamat-
ed channels fan complexes (see
response being mapped on Mul-
ti-client 3D, the future of explora-
when it comes to geothermal energy is that there is
prospectivity of the different dep-
ositional systems generated by
The relation between contourite
current velocity and depositional
southward-moving current. yet the polygon aligned in a NE-
SW direction (Figure 2) as if the tur-
Foldout image). The North-South
trend is intriguing as sediment
tion has already been written in
unevenly distributed hybrid systems
the political will to do it and make it happen”
the interaction between turbidite grain size (Hernandez Molina ORANGE BASIN ONSET OF bidite sand had been redistributed should be sourced from the North- in both the Orange and the Pelotas
and contourite current-related et al., 2011) and the three main CONTOURITE CURRENTS by contourite currents, potentially west. It’s possible that the turbidites Basins.
Marit Brommer – International Geothermal Association (IGA)
processes in these basins. types of interaction in mixed sys- AND ASSOCIATED
tems (Fonnesu et al., 2020). BEDFORMS Higher velocity and coarser Medium velocity and medium grain
SEISMIC IDENTIFICATION In the Late Early to Early Late As can be seen in Figure 2, the grain sizes- irregular patches sizes- undulatory ripples & sand dunes

AND EVALUATION OF Cretaceous of the south Atlantic, Venus Basin Floor Play Fairway
HYBRID DEPOSITIONAL contourite currents have alter- (yellow dashed polygon) extends
SYSTEMS nated in strength, direction and into the Gap and ZA22 3D
With the Charge and Trap pe- influence through time and with datasets acquired in 2023/24.
troleum system on both margins position on the slope. The oceans Venus reservoir analogues and

Gap MC3D Final PSDM Bridge MC3D Final PSDM

Full Stack, TVDSS Full Stack, TVDSS
SEG +ve, SW - NE SEG +ve, W - E

Gap MC3D Final PSDM Navel MC3D Final PSDM

Full Stack, TWT Full Stack, TWT
SEG +ve, N - S SEG +ve, N - S

Slope (Graff analogue) Inner Basin Play

(Mopane analogue)
Basin floor counter-regional
trap (Venus analogue)
Outer Basement High

Namibia South Africa

Figure 2: Right: Map showing recent discoveries in the Orange Basin (green polygons), approximate outline of the three main play fairways recently Figure 3: Depth converted arbitrary line from ZA22 to Gap survey, approximately NW-SE oriented. Note the high amplitude, discontinuous event above
discovered (dashed outlines), and 3D datasets used in this study. Left: Composite seismic line across Bridge and Gap 3D datasets showing the character of the Aptian source rock (brown horizon). The inset maps represent the RMS amplitude extraction over the blue horizon within the yellow polygons. Note the
the Aptian source rock and the seismic expression of the extension of the discovered plays. Note Rhino’s recent Capricornus discovery is located within the similar seismic character between the surveys but a very different aerial distribution of high amplitudes (red). The graph published in Hernandez Molina et al.,
red dashed polygon, in a similar setting to the Mopane discovery. 2011 was used to infer the possible process generating the bedforms.

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PORTRAITS L O RPEOMR TY RP A
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“A L O V E L Y little department dedicat- “First of all,” Marit says, “we need- city of Bonn, where many UN or-
ed to geothermal energy. That’s what ed to move away from the academic ganisations, also in the energy and
I found when I started at the Interna- outpost of Bochum, and become a climate space, are based, and which
tional Geothermal Association (IGA) fully independent organisation with seemed a good fit for her organisation
in 2017,” says Marit Brommer, who our own base.” How to make that at the time.
had left a demanding role working happen, though, and where to go?
on challenging subsurface projects at To become more financially in-
Shell. dependent, Marit soon realised that “No matter your cultural
But it wasn’t exactly what she had the funding model needed to change, background, diplomacy
expected. with more buy-in from the industry.
only works when meeting
“Even though I knew that IGA She started making the case to com-
was obviously very small compared to panies active in the energy sector. “If
people face to face”
an oil major, I did think I was joining you want to see geothermal grow, fa-
another efficient global organisation. cilitate learning and have a platform
But even though it had already exist- that acts as an incubator for the inter- “When the move to Bonn was
ed for almost 30 years at the time, it national geothermal sector, you have completed, and our funding model
was still quite fragmented and fund- to support us,” she wrote in letters was completely overhauled, I looked
ing solely relied on a single EU grant,” and emails to potential partners. back with satisfaction,” said Marit.
says Marit. It worked. But soon she was about to find out
Marit secured more than 25 com- that it wasn’t all plain sailing.
panies to underwrite the goals of the
”I had no history in organisation, supported by 30 mem- DIPLOMACY DOES NOT
geothermal energy, and ber countries. “Let’s face it,” says WORK VIA TEAMS
Marit, “during those years, there was “The pandemic was detrimental to our
all of a sudden, I was increasing public and governmen- goals to continue our mission,” Marit
the Executive Director, tal pressure on energy companies to says. “No matter your cultural back-
changing the way diversify their energy mix. It helped ground, diplomacy only works when

“PLAYTIME
we worked” get companies like Shell on board as meeting people face to face. Doing
sponsors, but also service companies business might work that way,” she
such as Baker and Halliburton.” adds, “but diplomacy relies on real hu-
“When looking back now, I un- Then, the location. It became the man interactions.”
derstand much better that I actually
had a mandate to implement change

IS OVER”
rather than a remit to continue as
usual. This mandate included turning WHERE THINGS ARE HAPPENING TODAY
the IGA into a more visible organi- “It is great to see how the USA is a hotbed of new technology, both in the
sation; larger, more independent, and realms of drilling and reservoir stimulation,” says Marit when we get to
speak about ways to accelerate the pace with which geothermal wells can
a global go-to vehicle for geothermal be completed. “It is a major pillar on which future project decisions will
best practices, knowledge sharing and hinge.”
advocacy.” “As a global organisation, it is very important to closely follow
It meant a radical change, which developments in these domains, she says, but I also feel that we need to
P H O T O G R A P H Y: M A R I T B R O M M E R P R I V A T E A R C H I V E

pay attention to the areas where things are happening today, as that is
did not always come easily. “I had no currently where our growth takes place. R&D projects are great ways to
history in geothermal energy, and all gain exposure, but it is important to realise that they do not yet contribute to
of a sudden, I was the Executive Di- our baseline.”
rector, changing the way we worked. “The places where recent growth in electricity production has concentrated
As one of the most-travelled geothermal ambassadors of the world, Marit Brommer I would be lying if I said everybody
are all in areas where geothermal already was an established player; New
Zealand, Kenya and Indonesia. This is not so much in the news, but it is
has seen many geothermal projects and maintains a remarkable network in welcomed that,” Marit says. something we have to be mindful of and also share better, as it is in these
“But maybe my lack of expertise areas where the action happens.”
the community. She has now been at the helm of the International Geothermal was an advantage at the same time,” Marit also stresses that there are tens of thousands of volcanically active
islands, most with only small populations, that would greatly benefit from
Association (IGA) for more than eight years, which puts her in a great position to she continues. “It allowed me to re- having a small conventional geothermal system, which would make them
reflect on what has happened, what has not happened, and how the industry has structure in a way that allowed the completely independent of diesel imports for electricity generation. It is
new model to work.” those sort of opportunities we also need to pay attention to, as it is low-
to scale up. Reflecting is what she is doing in this interview, openly and honestly. What was this new model all hanging and tangible fruit.”
HENK KOMBRINK about?

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PORTRAITS L O RPEOMR TY RP A
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S

on what hydrogen can and cannot do “Let’s accept this,” says Marit,
for the energy transition, which means “and regard geothermal as a utility,
that geothermal is becoming more vis- not as a commodity. If we do that, I’m
ible again as a result. In the way we convinced that we can work towards
want it to be, as a solution to provide an energy system that still includes ge-
baseload energy round the clock.” othermal.”
“However, that doesn’t mean we That’s where the public sector
are back to where we were in 2020,” comes in.
she says, “because we also see that “As long as there is no public
the E&P industry looks at their com- mandate and political backing to im-
mitment to geothermal in different plement geothermal energy at scale,
ways than before, with Shell being in collaboration with private parties
a prime example. “The company re- carrying out the work, you will always
cently decided to divest its interests keep on having one-off projects such
in geothermal energy projects in as the ones we are seeing around us too
the Netherlands, but decided to in- often. It is not what we need. We need INTERNATIONAL DEALS
vest in the geothermal power busi- more examples like Munich, Paris,
ness in the USA at the same time,” and more… China’s!”
Marit says. “It demonstrates that In fact, it is China where things
the company is not yet convinced have really taken off.
of low-enthalpy geothermal in their
project portfolio.” CHINA AS A ROLE MODEL
“Let’s not sugarcoat it,” says Marit,
“the only reason why China is growing
”... the only reason why so rapidly when it comes to geother-
AUSTRALIA
China is growing so mal energy is that there is the political (Offshore appraisal/exploration)
will to do it and make it happen.”
Site visit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia courtesy by Saudi Geological Survey and STEP.
rapidly when it comes to “A lot can be said about the coun-
CARIBBEAN
geothermal energy is that try, but it is remarkable to see how a
(Onshore/offshore exploration)

“At the start of the pandemic, comes to pushing different renewable many other good reasons for this. there is the political will to mandate turns into action on a grand GERMANY

people were still up for having calls energy solutions.” In 2021, there was a big drive to ex- do it and make it happen.” scale, something we cannot replicate
(Geothermal)

early in the morning or late at night And, on the back of that, it also pand geothermal in the Netherlands, in Europe by any stretch of the im- GHANA
(Offshore exploration)
to accommodate time zones, but that turned out that Bonn was not the best both from a governmental and pri- agination,” she says. “An example is
energy soon dissipated. Also, the place to be. “As an organisation like vate sector perspective. There was a Is that a wake-up call? Yes, it is, the master plan to clean the air in JAMAICA
World Geothermal Congress, which ours, you not only need an interna- geothermal master plan, a road map, and it fits into the overall change of the inner cities, which means that (Offshore exploration)
was about to happen in spring 2020 tional audience, you also need a local and a great network of embassies and the energy debate towards security of heating and cooling need to decar- MONGOLIA
in Reykjavik, was postponed. Even audience that is keen to hear from you organisations supporting the Sustain- supply and the continued focus of ma- bonise. In turn, this has resulted in (Onshore appraisal/development)
though it did ultimately take place in and develop initiatives with. It did not able Development Goals. All in all, jors to look at shareholders’ returns. the phasing out of coal used for that SOUTH AFRICA
October 2021, I feel that by that time materialise in Bonn to the extent I had the perfect place for an organisation This has exposed an important purpose. Combined with the fact (Offshore exploration)
we had already lost a bit of our mo- foreseen,” admits Marit. like ours. And judging by the num- difference between geothermal energy that China does not have ample gas UNITED KINGDOM
mentum,” says Marit. ber of events we had and hosted in versus oil and gas production. supplies and is reluctant to become (Onshore appraisal/development)
P H O T O G R A P H Y: M A R I T B R O M M E R P R I V A T E A R C H I V E

There is another factor at play, those first two years, it surely was a “We can not see geothermal ener- even more dependent on imports, ge-
too. “To be brutally honest,” she con- good move.” gy as a vehicle on the same footing as othermal presented itself as a viable
tinues, “over the past five years, our
”...geothermal is Fast forward to 2025, the overall oil and gas,“ says Marit. “Oil and gas alternative.”
message got more and more diluted becoming more visible picture has changed yet again for Mar- as a business model works. Otherwise, And where Shell has shown to be ENVOI specialises in upstream
by the advance of the (green) hydro- again...” it and her organisation. Let’s now take we would not have a society that is so lukewarm to the geothermal business acquisition and divestment (A&D),
gen hype. Everybody started to do a look at how bursting bubbles and dependent on it. But where oil and gas case, Sinopec has turned into an im- licence round marketing and portfolio
hydrogen. How many posts have I China play a key role in the narrative is a commercially viable venture, the portant water driller. The combina- advice for the international upstream
seen claiming that solving the stor- For that reason, it became clear today. geothermal sector, wherever you look, tion of geothermal expertise brought energy industry
age issue that comes with intermit- that the organisation would benefit is dependent on subsidies. There is not in from Iceland, Sinopec’s drilling
tent sun and wind is now behind us? from another home, yet again. It be- A NEW REALITY a single geothermal project across the experience, and access to manpower
It did not help putting geothermal came Den Haag in the Netherlands. “We are back in the spotlights,” says globe that runs entirely on commercial and rigs has resulted in the completion VISIT WWW.ENVOI.CO.UK
centre stage, as strange as it sounds, “Certainly not because I am Dutch Marit after a short break. “There is a principles. Money needs to be injected of more than 1,000 deep geothermal FOR MORE INFORMATION
that there is competition when it myself,” laughs Marit, “there were more nuanced view coming through first to make it happen.” wells over the past decade.

66 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 67

PORTRAITS

jects, Europe is lagging behind,” says

Marit. “To put it even more blunt-
ly, I feel that in some ways Europe
does not seem to want geothermal to
grow significantly. At the moment, I
see more stall than speed,” she says,
“with processes and procedures caus-
ing long delays.”
And what is the reason for this
delay? ”We experienced dilution of
our message when the hydrogen hype
started to develop around 2020, but

GEOTHERMAL
what I increasingly see now is that
despite all the promises and plans,
the reality is that our biggest com-
petitor is not hydrogen, but oil and

ENERGY
gas,” Marit says. “At the end of the
day, 90 % of heating and cooling is
still supplied by hydrocarbons, and
trust me, there is an efficient network
of people behind the scenes talking
to individual governments to make a
case for that.”
“And this is all happening when “We can’t just afford drilling exploration wells,
we see another country growing geo-
thermal at scale. If anything, it proves
they will surely be converted to producers if the
that it can be done, with the right po- potential is proven”
Speaking at Geolac El Salvador 2024. litical momentum in place. Europe-
ans need to be careful not to become Marijan Krpan – President of the Management Board of the
fence sitters.”
“This is how to upscale conven- result in the large-scale implementa- Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency
tional geothermal – because that tion of a geothermal action plan.” THE WAY FORWARD
is what it really is – drilling to 2 to “Playtime is over,” Marit concludes
3 km to tap into 80-90° C brines. It WHAT IS HAPPENING as we near the end of this interview.
has led to the realisation of around IN THE WEST? After eight years at the helm of the
40 GWth. In addition, more than We come back to speak about Eu- IGA, she is still incredibly passionate
8,000 shallow geothermal boreholes rope. “When looking at what China about the role geothermal can play
were added to that at the same time,” can pull off, I think that we have to in the world’s energy mix. Especially
Marit explains. “It is a school example conclude that despite all the road now, as security of supply concerns
of how broad government support can maps, master plans, and one-off pro- only form another reason to get seri-
ous about geothermal. What is bet-
P H O T O G R A P H Y: M A R I T B R O M M E R P R I V A T E A R C H I V E

ter than produce the energy required

for domestic heating from your own
back yard?
THE BIGGEST GEOTHERMAL CONFERENCE EVER “That’s why I am not giving up,”
“The World Geothermal Congress, which took place in Beijing in 2023, she adds, “but rather feel empowered
was the biggest one we have ever had,” says Marit. “It is another sign of now that we have gone through this
how serious the country is about the role of geothermal in the overall energy cycle of maturation as an organi-
mix. Sure, it is run in a typically Chinese way, being a little bit stiff and very sation.” “Will the centre of gravity
protocolised. In that sense, the field trips and dinners are essential to talk to
people and get a better impression of what is really happening. Also, I don’t in the near future move to China
know how many business deals are done, and there are fewer press releases then?,” I ask at the very end. “Well,
compared to what we are used to in the West. But, let’s be clear, I do have a given what is happening there, it does
lot of respect for China, and the action they take.”
make sense in some ways,” concludes
Marit.

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L OE ROETM
G H EYRPMS A
UML ENERGY LOREM YPSUM

Shaving off costs for geothermal Discover how geoscience and

27-31 OCTOBER 2025

exploration and production

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

engineering expertise are

driving the energy transition FEATURING
To make geothermal energy production more efficient, the FindHeat
project develops a series of tools that help streamline both subsurface as
well as above-ground processes

“LET’S face it,” says Arndt Peterhaensel from TRACS, “with

the energy density of geothermal energy being so much
lower than from hydrocarbons, the service sector around
this resource has to operate at slimmer margins than in oil
and gas.”

CALL FOR
“The EU recognises that,” continues Sebastian Geiger,
who oversees the consortium on behalf of Delft University
of Technology in the Netherlands, “and with that in mind,
the FindHeat project was funded for a period of four years.”
“Our goal is to create a public online space, the Find- ABSTRACTS
IS OPEN!
Heat platform, that hosts a range of essential tools that will
facilitate geothermal energy producers or potential devel-
opers with the essentials to make decisions faster and more EAGEGE T.ORG
efficiently.”
Geothermal energy producers do not tend to have large
geoscience departments such as oil and gas companies, if
they employ them in the first place, so there needs to be a 23938-7-GET25 Adverts - GeoExpro Exchange deal.indd 1 26/03/2025 08:39

port of call that fills that gap. “That’s not to say we want
to eliminate the service sector by implementing this, we do
recognise that services will always be required for individ-
ual projects to get them off the ground,” adds Sebastian.
To make things more concrete, eight geothermal pro-
jects that are currently ongoing in the Europe region are
part of the consortium; each with its own challenges, be it
CCS4G
SYMPOSIUM
from a subsurface or a societal perspective.
For instance, a project in Iceland takes part with the
specific challenge in mind to expand its operations into
deeper horizons. This kind of near-field exploration is an
aspect that can be translated to many other existing pro-
Super-Critical Upscaling
jects where there is an additional need for energy or where
the current source is getting close to maturation. Geothermal drilling at the campus of Delft University of Technology.
“For this type of work, we don’t necessarily need the
most advanced reservoir modelling software,” says Sebas-
tian. “As part of the project, we are preparing an existing At the other end of the spectrum are above-ground
P H O T O G R A P H Y: G E O T H E R M I E D E L F T

open-source and easy-to-use software called Rapid Reser- challenges such as how to communicate with local com-
voir Modelling for use within the portal,” he says. munities when a geothermal project will start in their area.
Media Partners:
It is a good example of the cross-fertilization between “Even though it is a very low-carbon source, it is not always
the oil and gas and geothermal sector; the software was met with open arms,” says Arndt. “We also aim to pro-
originally developed for E&P but is now finding its way vide a set of documents that help people communicate new 10 December 2025 | London
towards geothermal. “It has the right scale of granularity projects to local stakeholders, which will hopefully create
to do a rapid assessment of remaining nearby geothermal more awareness of what a project entails and thereby reduce
resources that can also be handled by people who are not lengthy regulatory processes.” #CCS4GSymposium2025 ges-gb.org.uk/events/ccs4g-symposium-2025/
working with this on a daily basis.” Henk Kombrink

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MRAELME N
Y PE SRUGM
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Extract and re-inject water, The “nugget effect”

from the same well in geothermal exploration
That’s the solution the city of Munich, Germany, is working on to help install more Finding a zone of high geothermal productivity may be tricky
systems in congested areas. A great way of spatial subsurface planning in fractured basement rocks, but it can surely pay off

T
H E C I T Y of Munich is blessed tained from the neighbouring property This solution eliminates the need “ W E S E E permeabilities of 10 Darcy says. He calls them nuggets because the SIZE IS KEY
with a very permeable succes- and the building itself. These conditions for two wells and allows drilling in and above 15 % porosity, easily,” says challenge is that the location of high po- Once found, the size of a network of
sion of Quaternary sediments reduce the available space for duplicate more confined spaces. It also saves Alan Bischoff. Alan is associate pro- ro-perm zones is hard to predict. “That’s high-permeable faults or fractures is the
that enables a high and con- wells in a groundwater heat pump sys- investment costs during installation. fessor of geoenergy at the University where our research comes in,” he adds. key question. Finding that out requires
sistent supply of groundwater flow. tem, which results in some houses being However, it is important that the sys- of Turku in Finland. In that capacity, “We try to better understand how to well tests, and fortunately Alan and his
As such, there is great potential for re- unable to meet the minimum distance tem's efficiency is still maintained and he researches fault, fractures and the predict these systems, how they formed team of researchers have been able to do
newable heat supply through thermal needs. This is illustrated in the illustra- that the production temperature is not impact of mineral alteration in crystal- and how large they are.” this using a close network of exploration
groundwater utilization. Currently, tion here. negatively affected by re-injection. For line basement rocks. Finland is a good place to study wells drilled for Finland’s nuclear waste
there are more than 3,000 such systems In order to increase the utilization of that reason, the vertical distance be- “Finland ranks quite high in geo- faults and fractures in igneous rocks. storage facility. “It turned out that we
in Munich, with a total thermal output these systems, the Technical University tween the production and injection thermal heat production, but that is all “The glaciers of recent ice ages have could prove hydraulic connection be-
of approximately 300 GWh. The city of Munich, the Munich Public Utilities, filters is usually chosen to be as large from shallow and mostly closed- loop scraped the bedrock surface to an ex- tween several boreholes, to lateral extents
is now looking to expand that further. and the City of Munich are now inves- as possible. systems,” Alan says. “But what if we can tent that many fault zones are devoid of at least 1.5 km,” says Alan, “which is a
However, the required minimum tigating the extent to which efficient use In addition, in most cases, an im- find these subsurface nuggets where po- of vegetation,” says Alan. “This has led very promising thing, also because these
distance between the extraction well of the thermal groundwater resource permeable layer needs to be in place rosity and permeability are such that we to great outcrops that allow inspec- wells were not stimulated.”
and the discharge well must be observed is also possible via single-well systems. between the production and injection can produce fluids at economic rates?” tion, mapping and sampling of frac- The geometry of the fractures is
to avoid thermal breakthrough. This The single-well system is a groundwater intervals to prevent cross-flow. How- “We are finding these nuggets,” Alan tures and faults.” another key aspect that determines the
minimum distance is usually estimated heat pump that feeds groundwater into ever, the hydrogeological conditions in deliverability of these zones. The team
at 10 m. In addition, in order to drill a the same well from which it was previ- Munich are characterized by very high has used modern XCT imaging to de-
well, a certain distance must be main- ously extracted. hydraulic conductivity and flow veloci- termine the pore-scale connectivity of
ties of 5-20 m/d, which means that the these crystalline reservoirs. When frac-
injected temperature anomaly near the tures are characterised by parallel planes,
Direction of groundwater flow
well usually flows downstream without they tend to close as confining pressure

S O U R C E : W W W . S C I E N C E D I R E C T . C O M / S C I E N C E / A R T I C L E / P I I / S 0 3 75 6 5 0 52 3 0 0 24 9 3
significant vertical mixing. In turn, this increases, highlighting the challenges of
negates the need for a separating barrier. deep geothermal production in crystal-

2D cross-section (Y axis)
3D view
It is anticipated that in large areas line cratons. However, the more irregu-
of the city, the heating needs of sin- larly shaped fracture planes and vuggy
gle-family homes can be met with sin- pores created by mineral dissolution are
gle-well systems. In some particularly much less affected by this.
suitable areas, withdrawal rates greater “Of course, it is true that there are un-
than 10 l/s are probably possible. certainties associated with drilling open-
Because of this, in collaboration loop systems targeting fracture systems
S O U R C E : A D A P T E D F R O M Z O S S E D E R E T A L . ( 2 0 24 )

with the municipal utilities, the city, that may or may not be there, but it is
and the Technical University of Mu- also good to remember that if successful,
nich, it was decided to implement a pi- the energy that can be produced exceeds
lot plant in Munich as the next step in Porosity 17 % by far what can be produced through
order to verify the numerical and basic Connectivity 75 % closed-loops where the geological risk is
3D 2D
data-based results achieved in reality. Mean aperture 150 µm much less. In addition, mineral altera-
A site has already been selected for this Max. aperture 735 µm tion processes can enrich the geothermal
Injection well purpose, and implementation of the brines with valuable elements such as
Plot where it is problematic Permeability
to drill a conventional injector Production well project has begun. lithium, which may add revenue to a ge-
This article is largely based on a 1 MPa: 5.49E-14 m2 othermal prospect. So yes, targeting fault
and producer pair 50 m 2 mm
publication in Technik Geothermie by Kai 50 MPa: 3.97E-14 m2 zones is open for problems, but open for
Illustration showing how some properties are unable to have a conventional groundwater system drilled Zosseder et al. (11-2024). opportunities at the same time!”
because of the risk of interference when looking at the direction of groundwater flow. CT scan images highlighting the pore morphology and connectivity of altered granite within a hydrothermally
Henk Kombrink altered shear zone. Pores of the same colour are connected at a limit of 11 µm resolution. Henk Kombrink

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L OE ROETM
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MRAELME N
Y PE SRUGM
Y

An exciting drilling campaign in Building a reservoir model for a

exciting geology geothermal field
Four geothermal exploration wells are drilled back to back in Croatia A different kettle of fish compared to an oilfield model

D T
Ohaaki Waikato East Bank
ID EBN set a trend? That’s HE FIRST well in Waikato
Ngawha River Fumaroles
Elevation River
to be seen, but the four- the Ohaaki geo- (mRL)
well geothermal drilling thermal field in 0

campaign the Croatian Zaprešić New Zealand was -500

Hydrocarbon Agency recently em- Velika Gorica drilled in 1965. However,
Osijek -1000
barked on to prove the potential of Zagreb Panonian Basin it lasted until 1989 before
-1500
an equal number of towns has simi- 0,049°C/m power production real-
larities to what EBN is doing in the Vinkovci ly started, even though -2000
CROATIA
Netherlands. Here, up to seven wells large-scale testing of wells -2500
are being drilled back to back, also to had taken place before
-3000
prove the potential for geothermal en- Dinarides the commissioning of the
Oil/gas field -3500
ergy production. 0,018°C/m 116 MWe power plant.
Location geothermal

Source digital elevation model: The GEBCO Grid

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
However, where the wells drilled exploration wells Over time, different
Alteration Clay Cap Distance (m)
in the Netherlands were chosen in models have been built of Wells
underexplored areas first and fore- the subsurface with the -16.0 -15.5 -15.0 -14.5 -14.0 -13.5 -13.0
Vertical “z” permeability [log10(m2)]
most, the Croatian wells have been aim to better understand
Vertical permeability distribution across the Ohaaki geothermal field, clearly illustrating the faults.
planned at sites as close to popula- the decline in steam pro-
tion centres as possible, and in places duction, and therefore
where district heating systems are in allowing a better forecast
place already. “And, of course, areas of what was still to be ing in a model consisting with the porous nature in faults that support the flu-
that have the subsurface potential as 50 km produced. This seems like of 35,446 blocks in 2015. the shallow subsurface, id flow, much more than
well,” says Martina Tuschl, who is a useful exercise, because Soon after, though, it was another feature that was the surrounding rocks.
overseeing the project on behalf of the decline rates were realised that the model had introduced is a dual po- The faults can nicely be
the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency. quite high, immediately to be deepened, as some rosity version that allows recognised in the vertical
Another big difference between from the start of produc- of the more recent wells matrix and fault/fracture permeability cross-section
the two projects is that the wells tion, as a new paper pub- were getting too close to fluid flow. below.
drilled in Croatia will be completed “The primary target of this well of all four planned wells are in the lished in Geothermics the base of the model that The construction of the The authors conclude
with the idea to convert them into ei- are the lithotamnic limestones of northern part of the country, which describes. was used at the time. This 3D model has been aided that their model fits field
ther a producer or an injection well. Middle Miocene age at a depth of is part of the Pannonian Basin. Here, The first model of the added about 3,000 more by magneto-telluric data, data better than previous
“We can’t just afford drilling explora- around 2,100 m,” says Martina, “with the geothermal gradient is close to Ohaaki field published in blocks to it. deeper wells, and the use models, so the mission is
tion wells,” says Marijan Krpan, Pres- the second target are older Miocene 50° C / km, in contrast to the south- 1977 consisted of just one It is only in recent of tracer technology to completed. However, they
ident of the Management Board of rocks 700 m deeper. The expected ern part, where it is only 18° C / km. single reservoir block – or years that some geological better understand fluid do describe a misfit be-

S O U R C E : O ’S U L L I VA N E T A L . ( 20 25 ) , G E OT H E R M I C S
the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency. temperatures are 90° C and 140° C, Seismic surveys were acquired grid cell – that matched features that have been pathways. tween model results and
“The wells will be completed with a respectively. in all areas to narrow down the best pressure drop by recharge known for a long time have It is interesting to see, observed data from some
7” slotted liner at reservoir depth, and “We plan to test the wells for a location for the wells, supplemented flow. This also allowed been explicitly incorporat- when looking at the model deep wells, which required
the well heads are prepared for ESP duration of around seven days follow- with magneto-telluric surveys. making guided estimates ed into the model of the cross-sections in the paper, input from reservoir engi-
pumps as well,” adds Martina. ing completion, and depending on “There is potential for high-tem- of total reservoir volume. geothermal field. The main how faults are represented. neers to learn that the con-
The project in Croatia is exciting the results, we will either plug or tem- perature geothermal in our country Subsequent models also features are the clay cap Rather than lines that off- tribution from the deeper
and must be seen as a serious attempt porarily abandon them in order to as well,” says Marijan Krpan, “but the included the CO2 compo- that is present at a shallow set reservoirs sections from section in these wells had
to de-risk four towns for the further come back later. The other wells are investment framework has to be estab- nent, which is quite high in depth, forming an imper- each other, such as is the deteriorated immediately
development of their local geother- planned near the towns of Zaprešić lished for that first. Hence, with this the field. meable horizon for fluid case in reservoir models in from the start of produc-
mal resource. The first well is cur- (north of Zagreb), Osijek, in the far campaign, we are looking to tap into From 2001 onwards, migration from below, and oil and gas, the faults are tion. A good example of
rently being drilled near the town of east of the country, and Vinkovci, temperatures that lend themselves for the first more advanced the deep-seated faults that assigned grid blocks in this the benefit of talking to
Velika Gorica, just south of Zagreb, just south of Osijek. use in district heating networks.” 3D models started to make form important conduits geothermal model too. It each other.
the capital. It is no surprise that the locations Henk Kombrink an appearance, culminat- for the heat. Combined is no surprise, as it is the Henk Kombrink

74 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 75

EXPLOR ATION OPPORTUNITIES C O N T E NCONTENT
T M A R KMARKETING
ETING

From data to discovery:

utilize a vast dataset of well informa- and a range of UK exploration wells.
tion to unlock new opportunities for ex- This project used the ESA EarthNET
ploration and development. platform to ingest, process, and inter-
Applying AI in offshore geoscience Focusing on a large area of the UK and
Norwegian continental shelf, the anal-
pret the data over six months. What
follows is a walkthrough of our full
ysis covered nearly 5,000 wells, 643 workflow - from raw data ingestion to
The North Sea continues to rank among and carbon capture and storage (CCS) of which are Norwegian exploration final geological deliverables - demon-
the most prolific hydrocarbon regions potential. In this comprehensive study, wells, encompassing around 70 unique strating how EarthNET supports rapid,
globally, with abundant remaining re- we leveraged advanced AI workflows data types. Additionally, the dataset scalable interpretation in data-dense
sources in both barrels of oil equivalent to interpret multiple seismic surveys and included 2,924 UK development wells offshore regions.

Gamma ray log colored

by averaged measured
depth for 5,000 wells.

The EarthNET Data Lake is a platform for managing, contextualizing, and

exploring subsurface data across the entire exploration and development
workflow. Directly connecting EarthNET modules enables a seamless tran-
sition from raw data to actionable insight. As shown in Figure 1c, the Data
Lake acts as the central hub of EarthNET’s integrated, AI-powered subsurface
ecosystem.

A well-known example demonstrating the value of AI/ML-driven workflows in data-rich regions is the Troll Field, as illustrated here. This case demonstrates the precision
and efficiency of automated interpretation techniques when applied at scale. Troll is visualized in time on section A-A’ and the time slice 1,644 ms, displaying the water
saturation (Figure 1a) and VP (Figure 1b) distribution across the reservoir, showcasing a clear, accurate Hydrocarbon pay indicator. This figures ware generated
following the full AI / ML workflow using Earth NET applied to a dataset comprising over 5,000 wells from both the UK and Norwegian Continental Shelves.
THE EARTHNET WORKFLOW
• Import Your Data - From files, databases, or directly from OSDU™.
• Contextualise It - Add metadata and indexing to make your data easily
searchable and usable.
1c EARTHNET EARTHNET EARTHNET EARTHNET  EARTHNET  • Explore It - Use map-based and object-specific explorers to understand
AI IMAGES AI WELLS AI SEISMIC PROPERTIES AI SEISMIC INTERPRETATION INSIGHTS spatial and relational context.
• Make It Analytics-Ready - Use EarthNET’s cleaning and alignment
Leverage ground truth Efficiently interpret Predict properties Automated seismic Query your data to
using rock images large well datasets directly from seismic interpretation support decision-making tools to prepare for AI/ML workflows.
• Continuously Improve It - Iterate on training data and model outputs
with feedback loops and active learning.
DATA LAKE • Export & Share - Push data back to the OSDU™ Data Platform to enable
collaboration and third-party tool integration.

76 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025

EXPLOR ATION OPPORTUNITIES CONTENT MARKETING

AI at Scale: Modernising subsurface 35/11-13

m TVD
RKB
2400
PAY CLASS 1
PAY CLASS 2
PAY CLASS 3

interpretation with EarthNET

A Intra Draupne Fm Anomaly PAY CLASS 4

2600
A’
2800
A machine learning-powered workflow enabling geoscientists to analyse Brent Gp OWC ca. 2800m TVD RKB

and interpret large, complex subsurface datasets efficiently BYRDING 3000

Statfjord Gp OWC ca. 3000m TVD RKB

m MD
35/11-13

Using AI-driven workflows, EarthNET reinterpreted nearly 5,000 North

3200
2900 Missed HC pay candidates

Sea wells, revealing over 450 missed hydrocarbon pay zones. This study Draupne
Low Sw values
associated with
3400
211/29-A17 (1982)
211/29-5 (1975)
211/29-5

shows how machine learning can unlock new value from legacy data in 3000
Formation porous sandstone Pay Predicted
3600
211/29-9 (1991)
211/29-A17
211/29-9

SUBSURFACE
one of the world’s most mature basins
3800 Wellbore
3100
WILLIAM REID, EARTH SCIENCE ANALYTICS
Figure 5: Selection of wells showing HC pay and OWC’s highlighting
opportunity deeper in the sections.
BUILDING THE DATA FOUNDATION: ical values were removed, and anomalous zones were

STORAGE
3200

EARTHNET DATA LAKE detected through domain-specific pattern recognition

LITH ESA 6C MLP MLA POR (FRAC) SW (dec) PAY CLASS ML COMP

The project began by ingesting data into the EarthNET techniques (Figure 2). Figure 3: 35/11-13, originally drilled in 2005, targeting intra Header distinct drop in water saturation that aligns with a porosity
sandstone. Seismic example courtesy of Viridien. spike within the Cormorant Formation, highlighted in the
Data Lake, which served as the unified environment
for managing and analysing the 5,000+ well dataset. PREDICTING SUBSURFACE PROPERTIES: blue rectangle, suggesting a potential overlooked pay.
Key inputs included: AI WELLS
With a cleaned and contextualized database, the data. This seismic-to-well integration showcases Earth- VIEWER AND INSIGHTS:
• 30,000 km of basic logs (GR, RES, DEN, DT, NET’s ability to move beyond simple structure mapping
EARTHNET AI Wells module was used to predict rock FROM PREDICTION TO DECISION SUPPORT
NPHI)
• 995 formation tops, 155 km of labelled train- and fluid properties for each well. The ML model was and into full reservoir property prediction across volumes, Utilising EarthNet Insight, we conducted an evaluation “We started as a project when Swiss supermarket
enabling better prospect identification and risk mitigation. of predictions and interpretations across the 5,000 wells,
ing data (porosity, Sw, lithology) trained to generate ​porosity, water saturation (Sw),
lithology, and pay flag (based on both static and This combined approach enables rapid evaluation of we interactively explored hydrocarbon pay by depth and concern Migros wanted to find a solution to
• Depth-indexed logs (~90 million measure- large datasets.
ments) dynamic classification).
These predictions were validated with blind QC on One of the most powerful applications of this workflow
formation, viewed lithology and porosity overlays, inter-
preted structural elements from seismic data, and analysed
process its food waste in a carbon-neutral way…”
Before initiating machine learning workflows, com- was the identification of missed pay in historically drilled
multiple well examples, showcasing predicted porosity 3D reservoir property cubes.
prehensive quality control and data-conditioning were
against original logs and ground-truth labels. Pay wells, many of which had been classified as dry. This is illustrated in Figure 5, where true vertical depth Tim Baars – Recoal
carried out using EarthNET’s automated and semi-au-
classes were visualized across stratigraphic intervals (TVD) in meters is plotted against hydrocarbon pay across
tomated tools. This process involved identifying and REAL-WORLD IMPACT: MISSED PAY ANALYSIS
with net reservoir and pay intervals filtered for well- multiple wells. Notably, the oil-water contact (OWC)
flagging bad hole conditions using caliper readings, EarthNET’s ML models re-evaluated legacy logs and suc-
bore condition, highlighting potential pay zones even in the Brent Group is visible at approximately 2,800 m,
borehole size, and density log mismatches. Non-phys- cessfully identified 450+ new hydrocarbon pay intervals.
in wells previously classified as dry. Well 35/11-13 while the Statfjord Group OWC appears around 3,000
Application in mature fields: The Brent Field is charac- m. When presented in this format, the observation from
(Figure 3), made the Byrding discovery in 2005, in
terized by a westerly dipping tilted fault block structure, well 211/29-A17 stands out not just as an outlier, but as
the Heather Formation, high porosity and low water
forming a fault-controlled unconformity trap. The field a potentially missed pay opportunity on a regional basis
saturation were recorded in the Heather Formation, but
comprises two primary reservoir units: Brent Group (Mid- within the Cormmorant Formation. Additional candidate
interestingly also in the Draupne Formation.
dle Jurassic) and Statfjord Formation (Lower Jurassic to wells that show similar characteristics include 211/29-5
Our workflow revealed a significant and much
Triassic). As expected, pay flags are observed (Figure 4) and 211/29-9.
thicker oil accumulation in the segment adjacent to the
in the Brent and Statfjord groups. However, there is also a
well location. This was verified after our workflow by
CONCLUSION
the use of the 2017 sidetracked well, which proved
This North Sea case study illustrates how EarthNET is
a 20 m oil-filled intra Draupner Fm, demonstrating m MD 211/29-A17
not just a collection of tools, but a digital ecosystem for
the value of the workflow in identifying missed pay
3400

subsurface analysis. By fully integrating seismic and well

opportunities. 3600 OWC
data, applying AI/ML-driven predictions, and enabling
SEISMIC-SCALE ANALYSIS: AI SEISMIC
3800
exploration geoscientists to visualize and validate in real
INTERPRETATION & PROPERTIES 4000 time, the platform unlocks overlooked value in one of the
Once well-scale predictions were complete, attention 4200
world’s most data-rich basins. From missed pay reclassifi-
shifted to the seismic domain using AI Seismic Interpre- cation to seismic-scale property prediction,
tation and AI Seismic Properties.
4400
EarthNET has predicted pay intervales for ca 5,000
A prime example is the Troll Field (Figure 1a and 4600 wells and identified more than 450 hydrocarbon pay
Figure 1b), located in the Norwegian Continental Lithology Porosity Sw Pay flag Hole condition flag intervals in wells registered as ‘dry’. This is reshaping how
Figure 2: DT for the wells plotted against MD before (a) and after Shelf, where EarthNET’s seismic workflow demonstrat- we as geoscientists interpret the subsurface - turning lega-
Figure 4: Well 211/29-A17 post-EarthNET analysis showing pay in
QC (b). ed the full integration of AI-derived well and seismic commorant formation. cy data into tomorrow’s opportunities.

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LS O
URB ES M
U R YF A
P SCUE MS T O R A G E SUBSURFAC E STOR AGE

Understanding CO2 flow at Sleipner Keeping geoscientists busy

using stratigraphic continuity A seismic acquisition and interpretation project in the UK North Sea was carried out to
better assess a very small risk for leaking brines. Does that justify a project of that kind?
Seismic attribute shows good correspondence with plume migration
BASIL ONYEKAYAHWEH NWAFOR AND JOHN CASTAGNA, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, ROBERT VAN EYKENHOF

G
AND MARIANNE RAUCH, LUMINA GEOPHYSICAL EOSCIENTISTS
can go too far
in the relent-

T
HE SLEIPNER pro- less pursuit
ject, located off- to de-risk all elements that
shore Norway, could cause a CO2 store to
Closure 1 Closure 2
marks one of the leak. At least, that is my
first large-scale carbon cap- Channel B
take based on listening to
ture and storage (CCS) in- a presentation by a member
itiatives. Since 1996, more of the Endurance Partner-
Overbank
than 18.5 million tons of 1994 baseline in overlay fines ship at the Seismic confer-
CO₂ have been injected ence in Aberdeen.
into the Utsira Formation. Channel A What happened?
Intermediate
While time-lapse (4D) area North of the Endurance
seismic data has helped
15/9-A-16
CO2 store, which is going Seal
track the CO₂ plume, early to be the first Triassic saline
injector
pre-injection seismic data 15/9-13 & trajectory aquifer in the UK North
lacked the resolution to Sea that will be used as a
fully understand the reser- site for CO2 injection, is
voir’s geological structure. 2010 monitor in overlay - good agreement between another cluster of potential
This limited our ability to CO2 plume and continuity data sites that can be used for the Closure 1 is the candidate for CO2 storage; Closure 2 is deemed too risky, even though the faults are likely to be sealing.

predict how CO₂ would same purpose. Two of those

Comparison of the Stratigraphy Continuity Attribute (colours) computed from the baseline survey with the 1994 baseline
migrate underground. and 2010 post-injection monitor data highlights laterally consistent geological layers in warm colors and areas with potential sites were the topic
We performed a study interruptions in cool colors. Black high-amplitude wiggles in the lower image are the plume imprint overlain on the 1994 of a talk delivered by Adrian “Knowing that the study was done not even to de-risk leaking
to improve the resolution
continuity volume, matching well with the highlighted channel. The map also shows the channels with the same attribute,
including a zone of intermediate connectivity where a more recent westward plume has been detected. Merry from TotalEnergies, CO2 but to de-risk a leaking brine, this project looks like
of pre-injection seismic data one of the three sharehold- people are desperately looking for potential problems to
using a technique called ers of the Northern Endur- justify the mobilisation of kit”
Sparse Layer Spectral Inver- nique uses high-resolution colors like yellow, red, and observed. It corresponds ance Partnership.
sion. This method enhances spectral decomposition to green, versus areas with in- to a zone of intermediate One of those sites will
thin-layer imaging and pro- extend the bandwidth of terruptions that are shown continuity, which might probably lend itself for CO2 to better assess how far the “unwanted”. But is that bad? activation is unlikely. These
duces new seismic attributes the data, while reshaping using cool colors like blue explain the delayed migra- storage, as it is a gentle an- faults continued into the I don’t think it is necessarily studies alone should have
- most notably, stratigraph- the frequency spectrum to and pink. These latter tion in that direction due ticlinal structure with a overburden. Why? Because so, especially because this is been sufficient to not move
ic continuity. This has the avoid artifacts like ringing. ones may indicate faults, to poorer reservoir quality. good seal on top. This one there is a risk that CO2 all happening in a shallow sea ahead with the survey.
potential to reveal key geo- For the Sleipner pro- erosion, or depositional By comparing the base- is marked Closure 1 in the stored in Closure 1 would with a major tidal current. Overlooking all of this,
logical features controlling ject, the most impactful boundaries. line (1994) and post-in- sketch. However, the next- cause a pressure increase in And there is another and knowing that the study
CO₂ flow. outcome is the creation These insights are key jection data, it is evident door anticline shows some the wider Triassic reservoir reason why there was no was done not even to de-risk
Sparse Layer Spectral of the Stratigraphic Con- in understanding how CO₂ that stratigraphic conti- major faults cross-cutting – there is a connection be- need to mobilise a seismic leaking CO2 but to de-risk
Inversion, unlike conven- tinuity Attribute (SCA), will travel underground: nuity accurately predicts the crest of the structure, tween the two sites – which acquisition vessel, even a leaking brine, this pro-
tional methods, doesn't a seismic attribute using Continuous sand channels the CO₂ migration route. offsetting the reservoir. You may cause formation water when knowing that the ject looks like people are
rely on well data or assume the bandwidth extended act as flow paths, while dis- This approach can play a don’t need to be an expert to to reach the seafloor via the whole exercise only lasted a desperately looking for po-
continuity. Instead, it ana- data that highlights how ruptions may block move- vital role in future CCS see that it would be risky to above-described faults. week. As was shown during tential problems to justify
lyzes seismic reflections to continuous or disrupted ment. When plotted in projects, helping identify store CO2 in there. That isn’t Is that a bad thing? the same talk, modelling the mobilisation of kit and
better detect closely spaced subsurface layers are. It map view, our results also ideal injection zones and the plan either. The only rationale that was demonstrated that the faults thus keep some geoscientists
layers, even those thinner identifies areas where ge- support a more recently anticipate plume behavior, Yet, a seismic acquisi- brought forward was some- are likely sealing, and fur- busy. I’d rather plan a devel-
than what traditional seis- ological layers are laterally identified zone where west- especially in channel-rich tion was performed over this thing along the lines of ther geomechanical work opment well.
mic can resolve. The tech- consistent, shown in warm ward CO₂ migration was formations like Sleipner. faulted structure in order “another composition” and also suggested that fault re- Henk Kombrink

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Creating a source rock and

storing it for good
That is what Swiss start-up Recoal aims to do in an attempt to
sequester carbon in a different way

as a project when Swiss

“ W E S TA R T E D sure vessel at high temperature, we might be required in those cases be-
supermarket concern Migros wanted arrive at a substance between lignite cause of the closer proximity of the

SEABED
to find a solution to process its food and bituminous coal when looking at material to groundwater and air. But
waste in a carbon-neutral way,” says the organic maturity.” regardless of where our coal ends up,
geologist Tim Baars from Recoal. “The The big advantage of using the monitoring will always be part of our
work we did for Migros ultimately led hydrochar methodology is that the strategy to ensure permanent stor-

MINERALS
to the launch of our start-up in 2023.” carbon concentration is much higher age. This will be done through gas or
The idea of Recoal centres around than when you would use unprocessed groundwater sampling.”
the BiCRS concept, which stands for sewage sludge, and it is much more A clear advantage of the hydrochar
Biomass Carbon Removal and Stor- stable at the same time. In addition, it methodology is the storage efficiency.
age. Many different processes fall un- is an exothermal process, so once the “We estimate that we can store up to
der the BiCRS umbrella, ranging from pressure vessel is in operation, no more a ton of CO2 per cubic meter, whilst
simply pumping sewage slush in a sub- energy input is required to make sure CO2 storage ranges between 600 and
surface reservoir to creating Biochaa the operation continues. If the instal- 800 kg in the same volumetric unit. “There are environmentalists who claim that if you
form of anthracite - through pyroly- lation is of a sufficient size, the heat That means we need significantly less
sis of organic waste and subsequently generated during the process could space to store the same amount of car- remove all the nodules, an entire ecosystem will
storing it on agricultural fields. even be used for other purposes. bon,” Tim concludes. be lost. But that is impossible, because the areal
“What we do at Recoal is yet Once the coal has been generated, The company plans to order
another process, called hydrochar, the storage aspect kicks in. the first demonstration plant in extent of these nodule fields is so huge that it will
which is based on the concept of hy- “Abandoned mines or salt cav- the months to come, with first pro-
drothermal carbonisation,” explains erns are likely candidates,” says duction of coal in 2026. With this never be possible to mine it all”
Tim. “The advantage of this meth- Tim. “This already happens with fly installation, the aim is to process
odology is that we can use wet-waste ash, for instance. We also looked at 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, with Annemiek Vink – Bundesanstalt für
products as an input, saving energy the possibility of storing our coal further upscaling to 1 Mt/year per
in comparison to processes that need in abandoned quarries or pits, even plant in the longer term.
Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe
dried input products. Using a pres- though some more remediation Henk Kombrink

P H O T O G R A P H Y: T I M B A A R S

Hydrochar batches, each produced from manure feedstock.

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UMERALS S E A BLEODR EMMI NYEPRSAULM
S

A pragmatic approach TMC’s bold move

to seabed mining Frustrated by the International Seabed Authority’s stalled progress on a
deep-sea mining code, The Metals Company is turning to a 1980 US law
Biologist Annemiek Vink from German Research Institute BGR believes that seabed to fast-track its ambitions
mining should be considered as an option given the circumstances we find ourselves in,
adding a well-balanced view to a polarised debate

F
RU S T R AT E D by delays at the International Seabed 2021 two-year notice. For Barron, this stalls not just the
Authority (ISA), the UN-affiliated body regulating company, but the aspirations of sponsoring nations, includ-
“ I D O O BV I O U S LYworry about the mining in international waters, TMC is making a ing Tonga and Kiribati.
ecosystems down at the seafloor,” says TWO EXPLORATION CONTRACTS daring move. In Q2 2025, the Canadian compa- Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of
biologist Annemiek Vink from the Germany has two contracts for the exploration of seabed minerals in ny plans to instead apply for permits under the US Deep the Sea (UNCLOS), the ISA governs the "Area" - the seabed
Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften international waters; one in the Indian Ocean for polymetallic massive Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA) of 1980, beyond national jurisdiction. Most nations recognize its au-
sulphides and the other in the CCZ for polymetallic nodules. Annemiek
und Rohstoffe (BGR) in Hannover side-stepping the ISA’s stalled process. thority, but the US, a non-signatory, doesn’t, creating a legal
coordinates the polymetallic nodules project in the CCZ, which started as
when we meet on Teams. “On the oth- far back as 2006. Meanwhile, about 80% of the work in the area relates to This shift aims to accelerate commercial mining of gray area TMC hopes to leverage.
er hand, I also appreciate the impressive environmental baseline and impact studies. polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone This challenges the international framework, particular-
size of the resource.” (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean. The DSHMRA, passed by the ly ISA’s role as the perceived sole regulator of the Area. Bar-
“There are environmentalists who US Congress in 1980 and regulated by the National Oce- ron, however, argued: “The ISA does not have an exclusive
claim that if you remove all the nodules, that total area that lends itself for seabed sure what species reside at every loca- anic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), enables mandate to regulate seabed mining activities in the Area”,
an entire ecosystem will be lost. But that mining. There are mountainous are- tion. However, I feel that we should not exploration and commercial recovery of deep-sea minerals arguing it has drifted from its dual mission to both regulate
is impossible,” Annemiek says, “because as where mining would be much more even try to attempt to do that, simply in the high seas. and enable mining.
the areal extent of these nodule fields is complicated, in addition to areas where because that would be an overly com- TMC’s urgency isn’t new. For years, the company has Before taking the helm in January, newly elected Secre-
so huge that it will never be possible to the density of nodules does not make a plicated and impossible task, also be- worked with the ISA, investing half a billion dollars and tary-General at ISA Leticia Carvalho, recognized that the
mine it all. In fact, even if we were to mining exercise an economic exercise in cause we are not nearly close to having partnering with developing states like Nauru - the first to work towards a mining code may still require years. Nev-
aim to mine 20 % of it, it would still the first place. “Taking these things into this information on land either.” sponsor an ISA contract in 2011. ertheless, without ISA approval, mining could be seen as
take us hundreds and hundreds of years consideration, it is 20 % of the CCZ that “Instead, what we need is a prag- CEO Gerard Barron recently concluded that “After unregulated or even illegal by UNCLOS signatories. En-
to do it.” is mineable at most,” explains Annemiek. matic approach and a process that 16 years of engaging with the Authority in good faith, we forcement, however, is weak, and US domestic law might
“If you see these nodules lying on allows us to protect important parts are increasingly concerned that the ISA may not adopt the shield the company.
the seafloor through the camera of an UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS of this ecosystem without the need to Exploitation Regulations in a timely manner.” Yet the risks are real. Environmentalists, already weary
ROV, and you know that that seascape “Most of the species we find in this en- completely avoid other activities. In my Despite TMC’s efforts - 22 environmental campaigns of deep-sea mining’s potential impact on fragile ecosystems,
continues on for hundreds of kilom- vironment are rare; it’s not like in for- view, that is possible. If we can have and successful nodule collection and processing tests - the may intensify opposition to this apparent bypass of ISA
eters, it makes you more aware of the ests where you see many common types large and ecologically robust protected ISA failed to deliver a Mining Code, even after Nauru’s oversight. Global markets or governments could also reject
sheer scale of the area these nodules are of trees or birds across large regions areas that are 80 % similar to the ar- TMC’s metals as "illegally sourced," denting profitability
covering,” adds Annemiek. The Clar- with some rarer species alongside,” says eas that will be mined, we are already despite US backing.
ion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) alone is Annemiek. “That means diversity is in a good position. This will also help At the same time, success could set a precedent, tempt-
equal to the size of Europe. high and difficult to quantify, with the re-colonize mined areas.” ing US-based firms or others frustrated by ISA delays, al-
However, it is only a smaller part of implication that we will never be 100 % Henk Kombrink though most competitors are tied to UNCLOS nations.
TMC’s manoeuvre highlights a tension between nation-
Exploration areas - Germany al interests and global governance. The US path offers speed,
Hawaii potentially bringing TMC to market in a couple of years.
The ISA path, though slower, offers broader legitimacy,
Other exploration
Clarion Fracture Zone areas
which could be vital for long-term acceptance of its metals.
What’s TMC’s true aim? Is this a hasty leap to kickstart
mining or a calculated push to pressure the ISA? Its state-
ments suggest the former, but one can’t rule out that it is a
bid to force the Authority into action to maintain its grip.
Either way, this dual-track approach could hasten
P H O T O G R A P H Y: T M C

TMC’s path to production while shaking up international

seabed governance. The future of deep-sea mining beyond
national waters hangs in the balance.
Protected areas
500 km A processing milestone: This high-grade nickel-copper alloy was recently It’s your move, ISA.
Clipperton Fracture Zone produced by Japan’s PAMCO using nodules collected by TMC as raw material. Ronny Setså

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Despite putting the brakes on

seabed mineral licensing, the
Norwegian government continues
to spend ever-increasing amounts
on seabed mapping
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate received a significant increase in funding in
the 2025 state budget to continue mapping the deep sea

“ W E H AV E been busy,” confirmed Hilde Braut, Depu-

ty Director for New Industries at the Norwegian Off-
shore Directorate (NOD), when she gave a lecture at
the Deep Sea Minerals 2025 conference in Bergen GR
Gygra
discovery
Svalbard NEW GAS
in April. Manganese Mid Ocean Ridge
Braut pointed out that the directorate, in collaboration
with the universities of Bergen and Tromsø, conducted
occurrence
”Natural hydrogen exploration is currently a hot
three expeditions in 2024, and so far in 2025, they have
completed two more.
NO topic, but few companies have advanced from
When so much mapping is carried out, it is no surprise Sulphide initial exploration to the drilling stage. HyTerra is
to see that the odd discovery is made as well. occurrence
During the latest expedition in March, a new sulphide one notable exception”
deposit was confirmed and sampled. The deposit, which is Working area
named Gygra, is located on the Knipovich Ridge about a for mineral exploration Mariël Reitsma – HRH Geology
kilometer southeast of Jøtul, an active hydrothermal spring
that was discovered in 2022. A total of 53 samples were col-
lected using the Ægir 6000 submersible's grapple arm.

A KEY MINERAL
Braut said that the samples have so far been analyzed using The preliminary results appear to be encouraging from an
a measuring instrument (handheld XRF) on board the ship. exploration and resource perspective.
“The analyses indicate that the material has a copper
content of between 2 and 30 %, with an average of 5 %,”
said Braut.
PROSPECTIVE, BUT REQUIRES
MORE RESEARCH She pointed out that the presence of the mineral atacamite
Recent expeditions in the Norwegian Sea have is a confirmation of the high copper content in the deposit.
clearly shown that the Norwegian part of the mid- The same mineral was also detected at the Grøntua sulphide
ocean ridge is very prospective in terms of sulphide deposit on the Mohns Ridge. Grøntua was found last year.
resources. The list of known deposits is growing
steadily, and of the deposits that have been sampled, Braut was not the only speaker to highlight atacamite at
the metal contents are often higher than what we the conference in Bergen. A research team at the University
typically see in deposits that are mined on land. of Southampton has, in recent years, conducted research at
However, it is still an open question whether any the Semenov sulphide fields along the mid-ocean ridge in
of them will be viable. Single samples taken from
the seabed are not sufficient to establish a resource the Atlantic Ocean.
estimate. Drill cores are also needed to provide a Their research so far has shown that atacamite in the up-
sufficient statistical basis for the ore bodies in three per, weathered part of the sulphides at the seafloor is a good
dimensions. indicator of the presence of copper in deeper layers.
Ronny Setså

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If there was a hydrogen market, A helium reservoir in fractured basement

geological storage would not be Most of the world’s helium is produced as a by-product of natural gas extraction
or from geological settings similar to classic hydrocarbon plays. However, with the
the bottleneck growing demand for helium and dwindling hydrocarbon reserves, helium explorers are
expanding their search. One such company is Pulsar Helium, which acquired acreage in
The Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programme, established by the
Lake County, northern Minnesota, a region historically known for metal ore mining
International Energy Agency, has released its final report on the feasibility of

I
underground hydrogen storage
N 2011, a borehole tar- Jetstream #1 Vs (m/s)
geting nickel unexpect-

T
4000
Jetstream #2
O B A L A N C E inter- drogen, along with meth- Hydrogen behaves dif- sion is that by selecting the edly discovered gas.
3500
mittent renewable ane and carbon monoxide. ferently in the subsurface right reservoir and imple- The gas flowed from the
energy generation Countries like the UK, Ger- compared to natural gas; it menting specific measures, hole with such force that it
with grid demand, many and the USA utilised is more mobile and reactive these problems can be min- reportedly ‘screamed like a 3000

green hydrogen can be town gas before natural gas and serves as a feedstock for imised for both salt cavern jet engine’ for four days un-
45
produced and stored in the became widely available in microorganisms. Therefore, and porous reservoir stor- til experts were able to seal 7m
subsurface at times of sur- the 1970s. The geological before hydrogen is injected age sites. the well. Analysis revealed
plus energy generation, and storage of town gas demon- into a reservoir, it is cru- The primary challenges that the gas contained over 914
m
subsequently used to supple- strated that hydrogen-rich cial to identify potential arise during storage design 10 % helium, along with
ment the grid during peri- blends could be safely and issues. For instance, can and construction because CO2 and nitrogen. 13
72
ods of high demand. successfully managed, with the reservoir seal contain depleted gas reservoirs and The targeted rock for- m
Underground hydrogen only minor issues reported. the small, mobile hydro- salt caverns cannot be di- mations are part of the 18
29
storage is not a novel con- Nevertheless, the Inter- gen molecules? Are there rectly repurposed for hy- Duluth intrusive complex. m
22 Grey and green represents the
cept; in the 1960s, ‘town national Energy Agency was minerals present that could drogen storage. Hydrogen is The complex consists of lay- 86 velocity anomaly (decrease)
gas’ was stored in salt cav- cautious and commissioned react with hydrogen and corrosive and can embrittle ered mafic rocks emplaced m
and is the area of interest
erns and depleted gas fields additional research to ensure produce unwanted byprod- steel, requiring specialised 1.1 billion years ago when
1km
to ensure a reliable supply safe and effective operations ucts? Or will microbes feast materials for hydrogen-re- the Midcontinent Rift be-
and manage fluctuating de- throughout the storage life- on hydrogen, reducing its lated projects. Additionally, gan to split apart the North
mand. Town gas, produced cycle, from initial construc- concentration and creating legacy wells in depleted gas American craton. The rel- Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) Shear Wave (Vs) Velocity Model for the Topaz prospect.
through coal gasification, tion to eventual decommis- contaminants like hydro- fields are often unfavoura- atively stable tectonic con-
contains up to 60 % hy- sioning and abandonment. gen sulphide? The conclu- bly located, and hydrogen ditions since then have well achieved a flow rate of ny also drilled the Jetstream hindering the flow tests.
storage requires larger di- allowed helium to slowly 821,000 ft3 per day under #2 appraisal well to further Drilling fines partially coat

I M A G E : R E D R A W N F R O M T H E F I N A L R E P O R T O F H Y D R O G E N T C P - T A S K 42
ameter wells to achieve the accumulate over time. well-head compression. assess reservoir properties, the wellbore walls and lim-
Overburden (to surface) Well path (to surface)
necessary flow rates. Ideally, The passive seismic such as porosity, permea- it gas flow. A preliminary
Salt formation (seal) storage sites should be locat- WELL ABOVE THE CUT- model shows a significant bility and well connectivi- clean-up of both wells has
1 Hydrogen leakage via last ed near or onshore, as fully OFF VALUE velocity decrease in the zone ty. Both wells successfully mobilised part of the drill-
Last cemented casing shoe cemented casing shoe
Hydrogen permeation in
offshore sites, including the In 2024, Pulsar Helium that flows helium, while im- flowed helium to surface, ing fines and resulted in im-
2
damage zone surface processing facilities, drilled the Jetstream #1 ap- permeable igneous rocks cap confirming the geophys- proved flow; the wells flow
Microfracturing
Cavern wall Geomechanical failure would incur significantly praisal well, located 20 m the helium-rich zone. The ical interpretation of the naturally and on compres-
damage zone
3 Microbial reactions higher development costs. from the discovery hole. shear wave anomaly has a shear wave anomaly cor- sion. Further flow testing
induced by brine/sump In conclusion, while ge- Laboratory tests revealed vertical thickness of approx- responding to the helium- will resume once clean-up
Potential microseismic
event due to falling ological hydrogen storage up to 14.5 % helium and imately 610 m and covers an bearing zone. is complete.
(undissolved) blocks
does not have major draw- I L L U ST R AT I O N : P U L S A R H E L I U M
an average of 9.9 % helium aerial extent of 7 km2. In addition to helium,
Dissolution of anhydrite
Stored hydrogen gas 4
Permeation/leakage via porous
backs, the associated costs over a 12-day flow test, well Initially, the Jetstream ROCK DUST Pulsar plans to capital-
Anhydrite interlayer intersecting layers and the current absence above the 0.3 % cut-off val- #1 well only reached the top Currently, the company is ise on the approximately
Potential microseismic events
due to differences in ductile of a functioning hydrogen ue for economic production. of the low-velocity zone. conducting pressure and 62 % CO2 present in the
Brine
behaviour intersecting layers market mean large-scale un- Wireline analysis identified Consequently, Pulsar Heli- flow tests. Wellhead pres- gas stream by constructing
5 Salt creep and convergence derground storage remains a discrete zones with produc- um decided to deepen the sures are encouraging for a dual helium-CO2 produc-
of cavern wall
pipe dream for now. tive permeability related well earlier this year, and it both wells, but drilling tion facility.
Sump insolubles Mariël Reitsma, to fracture porosity with- now transects the entire ve- fines, rock dust generat- Mariël Reitsma,
Overview of processes that may impact underground hydrogen storage in salt caverns. HRH Geology in the igneous rock. The locity anomaly. The compa- ed during air drilling, are HRH Geology

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HyTerra hits hydrogen – but will

it be like a soda going flat?
Based on published results from the historic twin well, a proper gas
accumulation is still far from proven

N
ATUR AL hydrogen explo- drogen concentration was taken while well suggest hydrogen concentrations to
ration is currently a hot drilling the Pennsylvanian carbonate be highest in the carbonates overlying
topic, but few companies that overlies the fractured basement. basement, data from Duroche 2 seem
have advanced from initial The sample contained 96.1 % hydro- to hint towards the basement being the
exploration to the drilling stage. HyTer- gen, 3.1 % CO2 and 0.1 % methane. It place to be; after plugging, there was not
ra is one notable exception. is believed that the hydrogen originat- much more hydrogen left. We also have
Recently, the company drilled the ed from the basement, where it formed to bear in mind that chemical reactions

TECHNOLOGY
Sue Duroche 3 exploration well in through serpentinisation of iron-rich with iron oxides in the sedimentary aq-
Kansas, USA, where they discovered minerals before migrating into the car- uifer are suspected to consume the hy-
concentrations up to 96.1 % hydrogen. bonates of the Lansing Formation. drogen, which also points to a dynamic
This finding is not entirely surprising, as Now, the big question is; has Hy- system that includes hydrogen seepage
the well is located just 200 m north of Terra found a reservoir with a hydrogen from below.
the Sue Duroche 2 well, a hydrocarbon leg, or rather a dynamic system that is This raises the question whether the
exploration well that found over 90 % being fed hydrogen from the basement hydrogen concentration at Sue Duro-
hydrogen already in 2008. below. Published data form the previ- che 3 will decrease over time, similar “In the end, AI may draw the outlines faster.
The Sue Duroche wells are located
above the buried crest of the Nemaha
ously drilled Sue Duroche 2 well pro-
vide a clue.
to a carbonated beverage going flat, or
if flow from the basement can be sus-
But it still takes a geologist to see the story the
Ridge. The Ridge formed during Penn- The Sue Duroche 2 well initially tained. Extended well testing will have Earth is trying to tell”
sylvanian reactivation of the 1.1 bil- produced high hydrogen gas concen- to prove this and the commercial viabil-
lion-year-old Mid-Continent rift. The tration (92 %) when the wellbore was ity of Sue Duroche 3. Dan Austin – Sekal
basin is filled with Paleozoic sediments, open to fractured Precambrian base- First, however, HyTerra will drill
primarily carbonates, along with mud- ment. However, after a plug was placed a second exploration well, the Bly-
and sandstone. The Sue Duroche 3 well at basement level, and flow was only the13-20, located approximately 50 km
drilled through 335 m of sedimentary dictated by the overlying Pennsylvanian southwest of the Sue Duroche wells and
rock before reaching the Precambrian aquifer, gas bubbling out of the aquifer close to the historic Scott-1 well. The
basement that constitutes the Nemaha only contained up to 3.1 % hydrogen. Scott-1 well, drilled in 1982, found
Ridge, ultimately reaching a total depth This exposes an interesting differ- around 56 % hydrogen rather than the
of 1,052 m. ence between the Sue Duroche 2 and 3 anticipated hydrocarbons.
The gas sample with the highest hy- wells. Where the results from the latest Mariël Reitsma, HRH Geology

Historic wells Sue Duroche 3

Crome 1-28 Larson 1-14 Blythe 13-20 Downey
HyTerra well permit Scott-1 Sue Duroche 2 Ranch 3-31

Pennsylvanian-Permian
Sedimentary Rocks

Pre-Pennsylvanian
Sedimentary Rocks
Mid-Continent Rift
SOURCE: HYTERRA

Igneous Rocks
Pre-Cambrian Nemaha Ridge
Granite Basement

Projection of legacy, planned and recently drilled wells in north-east Kansas.

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Why the pandemic might have left bp Thinking like a geologist

drilling a dry well in Canada in the age of AI
That’s at least what CSEM results from a neighbouring licence suggest Geologists have long been doing, in an analogue way, the kind of
inferential, cross-disciplinary, real-time reasoning that modern AI
still struggles to replicate. Understanding this isn't just comforting - it may
3D Inversion - Horizontal resistivity
“ W E H A D a very limited time window
Low resistivity shape how we thrive as the landscape evolves
to operate in, in fact, it was too short
to acquire 3D seismic data,” says con-

W
High resistivity
sultant geologist Peter Mikkelsen from E ’ R E A L L feeling a incomplete data, questioning early even seismic amplitudes must be tied
Navitas Petroleum. Navitas had a li- tension as geosci- conclusions, refining models on the fly back to something physically real.
Prospect
cence next door to bp’s licence 1,145, entists: Caught be- - is fundamentally different from how In the emerging world of AI-gen-
offshore Newfoundland, in which tween an old way of most machine learning models operate erated outputs - synthetic logs, pseu-
the major drilled what is generally as- working and a rapidly changing future today. do-realistic seismic sections, auto-
sumed to be the dry Ephesus well. dominated by Artificial Intelligence. While today’s AI is powerful in re- matically generated interpretations
“We were chasing a similar Eocene As the dust starts to settle, anoth- calling patterns and filling gaps from - the temptation will be strong to ac-
fan system in our block,” says Peter. er idea emerges: Perhaps geologists, training data, it still struggles when cept digital results at face value. But
“But with the licence expiring soon, more than many other professions, are asked to reason dynamically under synthetic realism isn't real realism.
the time was not available to first wait uniquely suited for this moment, not uncertainty, to balance competing hy- Without a human in the loop, eval-
on the results of the Ephesus well, 3D Inversion - Vertical resistivity because we code or because we oper- potheses, or to know when an observa- uating the outputs against physical
which had experienced severe delays Low resistivity ate new software tools, but because of tion “doesn’t fit.” understanding and experience, we risk
for various reasons, and then embark how we think. In that sense, geologists were “do- building castles on sand.
on a seismic survey.” High resistivity Field geologists move through ing AI tasks” - inference from sparse Working with AI tools will in-
The option then appeared on complex, noisy environments, inte- data, model-building under ambiguity creasingly resemble doing fieldwork:
Navitas’ radar to acquire a CSEM Prospect grating information across multiple - long before AI was a household term. Checking assumptions, testing inter-
survey instead. “The survey was an scales - from the grain size in a thin pretations, looking for inconsistencies,
order of magnitude cheaper than a section, to the stacking patterns of GROUND TRUTH IN THE AGE and maintaining a healthy skepticism
conventional seismic survey and was outcrops, to the regional tectonic story OF SYNTHETIC REALITY about surface appearances.
easy to deploy,” Peter adds. “In addi- visible on seismic. Every observation One lesson from field geology stands
tion, the energy source was now ten is provisional, every interpretation is out: There is no substitute for ground THE ROAD AHEAD
times stronger than it used to be. That open to revision. truth. We are still in that 'weird time' - the
gave us the confidence to apply it in In the field, we sketch, annotate, We train our eyes and hands to transition period where AI is neither
our acreage, where our prospect was CSEM results overlain on seismic dip line. The “Top Fan” label indicates the Navitas Eocene prospect. No hypothesize, and cross-check. We spot subtle changes - a gritty texture, fully mature nor easy to ignore. But
at a depth of around 4,300 m below resistivity can be seen at that level at all. think probabilistically, not determin- a faint color shift, a cementation style for geologists, this isn't the first major
sea surface.” istically. We recognize analogues but - that can change an entire deposition- shift we've weathered. From the days
And there was another thing that know where they fall short. This way al model. We know that laboratory of hand-drawn maps to photogram-
worked in favour of using CSEM: the confidence that our Eocene prospect signal or not, but in that volume range of thinking - constantly synthesizing measurements, log signatures, and metry, from the first seismic sections
geology. “It was almost ideal for it,” would have been picked up too if it we would not have had an economic to 3D visualization, we've adapted -
says Peter, “because we were dealing had hydrocarbons in it.” discovery anyway.” because our core skills aren't tied to
with a fairly simple and undeformed But the prospect had no response Is it too easy to claim that bp did any one tool.
lithological mix of sands and muds, whatsoever, not even a glimmer. not want a CSEM survey over Ephe- The best future workflows won't be
and the question of whether there are “We also had some modelling sus? “It is,” says Peter. “We had plans about humans versus machines. They
I M AG E : I P O P B A V I A A D O B E STO C K
hydrocarbons in there, or water.” done for us by EMGS, who acquired to carry out a joint survey in 2020, will be about human reasoning ampli-
“The results were extremely clear,” the survey. Even when we only put but that was all canned by the pan- fied by machine suggestion, and geo-
SEISMIC COURTESY OF TGS

continues Peter. “We got a very good around 200 million barrels equiva- demic. In the meantime, drilling plans scientists, if we lean into our strengths,
response from the base of the Ter- lent of hydrocarbons in it, which is progressed at bp to a point that they are remarkably well prepared to lead in
tiary, which is about 1,000 m below way smaller than the prospect might couldn’t really go back. The result is this hybrid space.
our target, going even deeper into the have been able to hold, we would have that we spent less than 10 million on In the end, AI may draw the outlines
spectacular Mesozoic underburden. If had a response from the survey. Going our licence, whilst bp spent an order faster. But it still takes a geologist to see
even structures at depths of 5 to 6 km even lower than that, we would have of magnitude more.” the story the Earth is trying to tell.
could be distinguished, it gave us the been in the grey zone of picking up the Henk Kombrink Dan Austin, Sekal

94 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 95

TL O
E CR H
EMN OYLPOS G
UYM

How advanced seismic inversion and

a sound depositional model led to
the successful appraisal of an initially
uneconomic discovery
The Gnomoria discovery in the Norwegian North Sea is a great example of how seismic
inversion helps to identify reservoir sweet spots

INSIGHTS
L
E T ’ S TA K E a step back and look at the structures tar- Thick/good
geted in the early days of North Sea exploration. It is
no surprise that back then, the big fields were found
first, as the seismic data was rudimentary and only
really lent itself to identifying the major traps. Thin/poor “The BGS is a British national treasure. At a time when
Fast forward to today, and the way seismic data is used
to better understand the subsurface is remarkable. Subtle
certain government bodies are being mocked as
traps can now be explored and, even better, reservoir het- 35/10-4A
35/10-12S wasteful and dismantled, I’d like to remind us all that
erogeneity within the closure itself. It is that latter aspect
that has allowed Wellesley and partner Equinor to turn the BGS, and the USGS, and every similar geoscience
an initially uneconomic discovery into an economic one. PL 1184 S
Here’s how. authority are the foundation to our national endeavours”
The Gnomoria discovery was made in 2018 through
drilling well 35/10-4A. It found an Upper Jurassic succes- Juan Cottier – Geologist
sion of turbidite deposits associated with a delta system
positioned to the southeast. However, the targeted sand
proved too fine-grained and was cemented, even though 2500m
oil shows were reported. The conclusion at the time was
that if a more porous reservoir could be found, the discov-
ery might work. That’s where new seismic inversion data Probabilistic inversion result of the main reservoir interval in Gnomoria, showing
the poor quality in the area of the discovery well and the predicted – and

S E I S M I C D ATA C O U R T E SY O F V I R I D I E N , A N A LYS I S P E R F O R M E D BY Q E Y E
came in. proven – enhanced quality a little further to the west.
Aided by surrounding offset wells drilled since the
initial Gnomoria discovery well, and using Viridien’s lat-
est shoot over the North of Troll area, a team from Qeye the poor section in 35/10-4A being deposited in an area
performed a full elastic and direct probabilistic inversion where the underlying turbidite sand was well developed,
exercise across the discovery in an attempt to better predict blocky and thick. This created a more unconfined en-
the spatial distribution of the different facies in the interval vironment for the subsequent sand input, resulting in a
of interest. poorer and finer-grained nature than the surrounding
One of the main outcomes was that the 35/10-4A well and more confined areas of flow. This allowed the team,
was drilled in a location where the inversion predicted together with the seismic inversion results, to take the
non-productive reservoir. However, all around the well, decision to appraise the discovery. The results confirmed
the probability of finding productive reservoir turned out predictions.
to be greater than 60 %, making a clear case to drill an 35/10-12S did indeed find more net reservoir than
appraisal well. the discovery well, in line with a less well-developed un-
Before making a call on that, the team first wanted derlying sand. A 21 m hydrocarbon column was proven,
to better understand why the reservoir in the discovery with an average porosity of around 13 %. The expected
well was so fine-grained, also compared to offset wells. volume range for Gnomoria now stands between 5 and
After a careful mapping exercise, the most logical ex- 25 MMboe.
planation seemed to be compensational stacking, with Henk Kombrink

96 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 97

 A GEOLOGIST RUINS EVERY THING

I talk of dreams
Are they really the children of an idle brain?
JUAN COTTIER, MMBBLS SUBSURFACE CONSULTING

I
EMPOWERING NEW AM A dreamer. I always
PERSPECTIVES AND have been. Though not
DRIVING INNOVATIVE on the scale of Alexan-
der the Great or Mar-
SOLUTIONS IN: tin Luther King, but I do
dream every night, with
- Geological CO2 Storage complex narratives and full
- CO2 Capture and Transportation technicolour.
As a little kid, I had
- CO2 Utilisation and Emerging Technologies
GET YOUR three recurring dreams:
- Policy and Socioeconomics ALL ACCESS Firstly, fighting a Tyranno-
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ing chased by and chasing
two rusty-armoured, gin-
wccus.org ger-bearded dwarfs around
an island castle; and third-
ly, possessing a handheld
device that could answer
any question I asked of it.
Forty years later, things
have changed. Firstly, in
the late 70s, there were
Peel Castle, Isle of Man.
only about 12 dinosaurs,
all completely different,
the evolutionary gaps were on an asset in the Irish Sea castle. The castle was built when certain government
enormous, and the idea that feeding into the Rampside by the Abbot of Furness in bodies are being mocked
dinosaurs and birds were Gas Terminal in north- the early 14th Century to as wasteful and disman-
linked was bonkers. Now, west England. I had as- control the Abbey’s signif- tled, I’d like to remind us
we can smoothly trace our- sumed this landfall to be icant Irish Sea trade, until all that the BGS, and the
7-11 SEPTEMBER 2025 | NAPLES, ITALY selves through geological a remnant beach-bar with becoming Crown Proper- USGS, and every similar
time with barely perceptible a back-lagoon, and I pre- ty in the 1530s. So, Henry geoscience authority are the
changes in speciation. ferred the geomorphologi- VIII demonstrating a very foundation to our national
Secondly, the idea of a cal terms of stoss and lee to different type of dissolution. endeavours.

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handheld device that can tell “ramp”. Immediate access Piel Castle is purported to To close a circle, my
you everything is now com- to the British Geological be constructed from the is- dwarf chasing dream was

P H O T O G R A P H Y: P H I L I P V I A A D O B E S T O C K
monplace. Wikipedia on Survey “Geology Viewer” land’s beach material, which set around my local child-
WITH ALL ACCESS PASS a smartphone was literally
my dream come true. Now,
showed me I was wrong,
and the back-lagoon was
would be the Triassic orange
St Bees Sandstone and grey
hood castle, the similarly
named Peel Castle, situated
given a dash of curiosity and where outcropping Trias- Kirkham Mudstone Mem- on the boundary between
AND SECURE YOUR SPOT FOR a modicum of search skills, sic, Preesall Halite Member bers, and utilises these dif- grey Silurian metapelites
THE COMPLETE TECHNICAL everything is available. would be had it not enjoyed ferent colours beautifully and orange-brown Devo-
PROGR AMME, EXHIBITION, Which brings me seam- marine dissolution. between sandstone quoins nian sandstone and, again,
CONFERENCE EVENING, lessly to natural gas process- Rampside geology and window details versus beautifully built.
ing and 14th-century Eng- hosts the tiny Piel Island mudstone rough wall fill. All that said, and praise
WORKSHOPS & FIELD TRIPS
lish castles. (0.1 km2), which has all The BGS is a British aside, the BGS hasn’t yet
Recently, I was working the essentials: A pub and a national treasure. At a time explained the dwarfs.

23996-6NSG25 Adverts - Register Now Geo Expro.indd 1 02/05/2025 15:43

98 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 99
RESERVOIR MODELLING LOREM YPSUM

Some snakes don’t bite AFTER ITS SUCCESS IN THE UK, USA, AND CANADA, ONE OF THE
Learning Python is less scary than you think, and can be very useful in reservoir modelling TOP INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL EVENTS ARRIVES IN EUROPE.

E
V E RY B O DY is talking about in our case. In addition, we work with “Python is not as scary as you
machine learning and big data spatial and stratigraphic data, which is think,” says Elias. “Admittedly, I start- 5th-ipgc.com
these days, but what does it more complex in some ways.” ed doing elements of coding when I at-
mean in reality, and how do “No generic data analysis code will tended university, and I have a natural
geoscientists embrace it in their daily be developed with superposition in interest in it, but the time of learning
lives? To learn a bit more about that, I mind,” adds Tom. “For us, it makes all the commands one by one is sure-
caught up with Tom Marsh and Elias sense, but it is important to be mind- ly over. In the Python environment,
Ortiz from Rock Flow Dynamics in ful about when using off-the-shelf Notebooks allow you to quickly test
their Aberdeen office. Both of them solutions.” something for which code already ex-
work with and develop reservoir mod-
elling software, which is a discipline
But how does it work in practice?
“While our core software is devel-
ists,” says Elias. “The tool I use a lot is
called Jupyter Notebook, and it hosts a
5-7 November 2025
that lends itself well for elements of oped in C++, we offer a native Python wide range of Python applications and
coding and machine learning applica- extension and API, allowing users to libraries for interactive development.
tions. work and develop workflows in Py- In addition, ChatGPT will also spit Zaragoza (Spain)
The first thing that Elias told me thon,” Tom continues. “This is the out some code for you when you ask.”
immediately reminded me of some- environment that most developers use “Are you afraid that all this will re-
thing I had heard before. “The subsur- these days. Our clients can output the place the geologist at some point soon?”
face geoscience sector is not a big data workflows they develop in our soft- I ask at the end of the conversation.
environment. That’s where the social ware as a Python script, and subse- “No, I’m not,” says Tom. “The mod-
media platforms operate in,” he kicks quently add their own twist to it. It’s ules we develop all require an element
off the conversation. the new way of working when it comes of expert supervision to verify what the
“Instead,” he continues, “our geo- to operating software and offers users machine comes up with. I would rather
science niche is rather an environment the flexibility they need and more and say that we can do more and we can do
where there is a lack of data, so machine more often require.” it faster, but the geologist will always be
learning algorithms taken from the big But that means users will need to an essential part of the process.”
data realms are not necessarily useful have some Python skills too. Henk Kombrink

P H O T O G R A P H Y: H E N K K O M B R I N K

Tom Marsh (left) and

Elias Ortiz in front of
Elias’ workstation.

100 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 101

HOT SPOT L O R EHMO TY PSSPUOMT

Intense exploration and onstream Johan Castberg

(also Equinor), and to de-

appraisal in the Norwegian Brought to you

in association
termine a decision on the
development of Wisting.

Barents Sea with NVentures

www.nventures.co.uk
The Goliat field began
production of an estimated
original resource of around
Wells recently drilled are a mixed bag of results, but reflect a strong desire 200 mmbl via FPSO in
to either extend the life of producing assets or improve the economics of 2016, of which some two-
thirds are now exploited;
undeveloped discoveries such that FID is more likely to be taken rates have declined from
JON FORD, NVENTURES nearly 100,000 bopd to
21,000 bopd, and the
search is on for additional

T
HE NORWEGIAN and appraisal over the past gas discoveries (Elgol, Hassel ing). The commercial drivers reserves for tie-back. Goliat
Barents Sea has year. As shown in Figure 1, and Ferdinand), and two dry are to extend the lives of ex- reservoirs are Trias to Lower
been the venue to date, there have been six holes (Venus and Snøras), isting fields, Goliat (operat- Jurassic sandstones trapped
for a continuous wildcats resulting in an oil plus two successful appraisal ed by Vår Energi), Snøhvit in a faulted complex at
campaign of exploration discovery (Zagato), three wells (Countach and Wist- (Equinor) and the recently depths of 1,100 - 1,800 m.
Well 7122/8-2 (Vår and
Equinor, December 2024)
successfully appraised the
Countach discovery with
estimated resources now up
to 50 mmbbl contained in
the same reservoir forma-
tions as Goliat and along
strike on the same inverted
fault block. The following Figure 2: The Goliat Ridge.
well 7122/8-3 (Decem-
ber 2024) discovered some only with modest reserves (7220/2-2, Equinor, Vår & terestingly, operator Equinor
40 mmbbl at Zagato lying (15-115bcf) and moderate to Petoro, June 2024) both dry. reported that the informa-
between Goliat and Coun- poor reservoir quality. The former’s target was in tion gathered by the apprais-
tach. Two further wells and Following this partly the commercially unproven al was not only for reservoir
two seismic campaigns are successful start, the Goliat Palaeocene, with the latter but also for the seal.
planned in 2025. Figure 2 joint venture plans to con- targeting the more familiar Close to Wisting there
illustrates the Goliat Ridge tinue a modest risk explo- Lower Jurassic. have been two wildcats, both
structure. ration and appraisal cam- Wisting discovered up modest gas discoveries of ap-
Currently, produced gas paign of up to four years and to 500 mmbl in the Low- proximately 25bcf at shallow
at Goliat is reinjected, but 20 wells in total, with a stat- er to Middle Jurassic in depths, at Hassel and Ferdi-
long term, the plan is to ex- ed aim to increase the gross 2013. Four appraisal wells nand (wells 7324/8-4 and
port gas via the Snohvit fa- production to more than have now been drilled, in- 7324/6-2, Aker BP, Equinor,
cility and pipeline to shore. 350,000 boepd. cluding last year’s 7324/7-4 Petoro & Inpex Idemitsu
Following the December The 560 mmbbl Johan (Equinor, Aker BP, Petoro Norway, May-June 2024).
2022 discovery of more than Castberg discovery began & Inpex Idemitsu Norway, How such gas resources will
600bcf in Triassic sand- production from Triassic April 2024). Development contribute to the develop-
stones at Lupa with well and Jurassic sandstone res- plans remain in the balance ment decision at Wisting
7122/9-1 (Aker BP and Var, ervoirs via FPSO in March due to the challenges of an is unclear.
licence 229), the Elgol pros- 2025. Here, recent attempts extraordinarily shallow reser- Intensive exploration dril-
SOURCE: NVENTURES

pect was drilled by 7122/9-2 to discover satellites for po- voir depth, just 237m below ling continues; NVentures
in January 2025 (Vår, tential tie-back have failed, the seabed in water depths of is tracking a further eight
Petoro, Equinor and Aker with Venus (well 7219/6-1, some 400 m, despite which “Wells to Watch” in the West
BP, licence 1131) but report- Vår, Equinor and Petoro, the oil quality shows only Barents Sea, with a further
Figure1: Barents Sea location map with producing fields and 2024-25 exploration and appraisal wells labelled. edly is a technical discovery May 2024) and Snøras limited biodegradation. In- five likely to mature.

102 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 103

 F A U L TBSA A
S INN
LD
OMRF EO
RMADCEYTLPU
LSIRN
UEM
G
S

Basin modelling in the age of AI:

UBSCRIB NOW
only
GBP 80
,-
A partnership, not a replacement
Whether in exploration, geothermal, or CO2 storage, AI-supported
models could become standard practice
DAVID RAJMON, GEOSOPHIX

A
RTIFICIAL Intelligence (AI)
and Large Language Mod-
els (LLMs) are now part
of many professional do-
per yea mains - from healthcare to engineering
r - and the subsurface is no exception.
In basin and petroleum systems mod-
elling, however, AI is not shaping up
as a disruptive replacement. Instead, it

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offers a new layer of support: Acceler-
ating workflows, helping identify pat-
terns, and reducing the time needed to
explore multiple scenarios.
This was a key theme in the recent
GEO EXPRO is published EAGE webinar Introduction to Subsur-
face Systems Modelling. The tone was
bimonthly for a base subscriptions cautious, but forward-looking. Phys-
ics-based models remain central to un-
An AI-generated figure supporting this article. Not bad… huh?

rate of GBP 80 a year (6 issues). derstanding basin evolution and petro-

leum systems. AI’s emerging role lies in
improving, not replacing, those models. components - are emerging as a prag- AI could play a similar role in
One of the most valuable contribu- matic path forward. geoscience by searching for patterns
tions AI can make is in data assimi- Another key takeaway was the im- and analogs, providing evidence,
T H E G L O B A L E N E R G Y S E C T O R F R O M A S U B S U R F A C EL OP ER R
ESMP EY CP ST IUVME
lation and calibration. Traditionally, portance of quality over quantity. AI test assumptions, justify choices,
calibrating a basin model is a manual, must be trained on a few well-con- and communicate more clearly with
2
V O L . 21
2024

iterative process dependent on expert structed, thoroughly vetted models, non-specialists and specialists across
judgment and sometimes influenced rather than on large volumes of incon- disciplines. This help in communica-
GAS! by personal bias. AI can help by scan- sistent data. What AI learns must be tion may seem subtle, but in my mind
THE STATE OF GLOBAL GAS EXPLORATION
& A NEW DEPOSITIONAL MODEL FOR
VACA MUERTA SHALE GAS RESERVOIRS
THE GLOBAL ENERGY SEC TOR FROM A SUBSURFAC E PERSPEC TIVE
ning through large and diverse data- geologically grounded to be useful. this is probably as important as build-
sets, identifying optimal parameter A conversation with a friend who is ing the model.
2
VOL. 22
2025

spaces more efficiently. Done right, a software developer in the manufac- I do not expect to hand over the
this improves objectivity and acceler- turing industry offered helpful analo- reins to machines any time soon. We
FRESH WATER IN DEEP-MARINE SANDS
– MORE COMMON THAN YOU MIGHT THINK ates convergence on geologically plau- gies. This field is just beginning to uti- should build systems where AI helps
sible outcomes. lize AI in their manufacturing models us think faster, test wider, and explain
Foldouts
CCS – Looking for the
But this doesn’t mean full auto- to search for similar solutions, prod- more clearly. Whether in exploration,
next big storage sites
Pockmarks
in Namibian waters –
what do they tell us?
mation. Experience still matters. AI ucts and models, which is speeding up geothermal, or CO₂ storage, AI-sup-
The Danish Energy

tools work best in supervised work- model development and constraining ported models could become standard
Island – our first wind
foldout!
PICTURE/SOURCE: XXX

GEOEXPRO.COM
flows, where humans guide, evaluate, parameters of the model. My friend is practice - provided they remain rooted
and adapt the results. AI can highlight also using AI as a reasoning partner - in geoscientific insight and guided by
Exploration
opportunities
inconsistencies or suggest alternatives, providing reasons why something is in experienced hands.
geoexpro.com/subscribe
Deepwater exploration:
It’s the hope that keeps us here

The deep-water frontier

of Brazil’s
but geological understanding remains a certain way, why it cannot be other- Are you beginning to see these
Equatorial Margin
essential. Hybrid systems - combining wise, how to convince a manager/part- tools appear in your own modelling
GEOEXPRO.COM
physics-based modelling with AI/ML ner about a proposed solution. environment?

104
1 | GEO
| GEO EXPRO
EXPRO 3-2025
1-2023 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 105
FAULTS AND FR AC TURES F A U L T S A NL D
O RF ER M
A CYTPUSRUEM
S

Unlocking fractured
basement reservoirs
16 - 18 September 2025
Geological controls and global success Exhibition World Bahrain
MOLLY TURKO, DEVON ENERGY

THE MIDDLE EAST’S PREMIER

F
R AC TU RE D basement reservoirs, often igneous or
metamorphic rocks like granite or gneiss, contrast
with conventional sedimentary reservoirs. Without
PLATFORM FOR UPSTREAM
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for hydrocarbon storage and flow. Effective oil and gas pro-
INNOVATION, OIL, GAS, AND
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Fracture networks primarily govern reservoir perfor- MEET GLOBAL EXPERTS AND DISCOVER NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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ting is vital, with basement reservoirs often in uplifted or
faulted blocks, where the tectonic history dictates fracture
patterns. Pre-existing weaknesses, such as ancient shear
zones, may reactivate, increasing fracture density. Multiple
tectonic events may enhance fracturing, particularly along
reactivated faults. Present-day stress fields affect fracture
aperture, with open fractures aligned to maximum hori- 2nd Edition:
zontal stress, improving flow rates. Essential datasets,
which include borehole imaging, core samples, and 3D
seismic, help distinguish open versus sealed fractures, as
mineral infills like quartz or calcite can impair permea-
bility.
Lithology and mineralogy significantly impact frac- MEDITERRANEAN AND NORTH AFRICAN CONFERENCE
Diagram depicting a fractured basement structure beneath the
ture development and reservoir quality. Hard, brittle
sedimentary layer, with red and green colors highlighting oil and gas
rocks like granite fracture easily under stress, forming
extensive networks, whereas ductile rocks deform plasti-
reservoirs, respectively. medinace.aapg.org
cally, reducing fracture formation. Mineral composition
I M A G E : J O H N P E R E Z G R A P H I C D E S I G N , G E O A R T. C O M
Unlocking Frontiers:
affects fracture toughness - quartz-rich rocks fracture Key factors also include the diagenetic history—burial Sustainable Exploration and Innovation
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geneities like dikes or veins can compartmentalize reser- geochemical analyses of hydrocarbons and fluid inclusions

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Fractured basement reservoirs follow petroleum sys- clude Bach Ho Field (Vietnam), Renqiu Oil Field (China), Be part of the second edition of the
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106 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 107

NOTHING BEATS THE FIELD NOTHING BEA
LOT SR ETM
H EY FP ISEULM
D

Ripples and plane beds

The Cutoff Formation, currently exposed in the Guadalupe Mountains in Texas, USA, was deposited over a drowned shelf margin
in Permian times. The name of the formation is derived from subsequent erosion of its strata, which left the shelf, shelf margin
and basinal domains in isolated sections. The field photo shown here is from the basinal part of the formation, in which coarser-
grained intervals can be found in the form of deepwater channel systems deposited by low-density turbidites. The aggrading
ripples and plane beds that can be seen in this beautifully exposed section are interpreted as part of the levee system associated
with one of those deepwater channel systems.

Photography and text: Ali Jaffri, Applied Stratigraphix

FEATURE YOUR OUTCROP

In this series, we show a range of
outcrops to give more context to
what core interpretation typically
allows. Do you have a suggestion
for an outcrop feature? Get in
touch with Henk Kombrink –
[email protected].

108 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 109

VERTICAL GEOLOGY LOREM YPSUM

A lost Libyan core

In Scotland, carbonates and anhydrites from the Sirte Basin are
patiently waiting for a new home

W
E A R E V E R Y close to

Save the date

our print deadline
for this issue, and
I must say it was a
marathon. Most people expect this
magazine to appear at regular two-
months intervals, but our agenda is
very much governed by the events we
attend, and these cluster in certain 24 - 26 March 2026, Bergen, Norway
periods of the year. For that reason,
we only had six weeks to put togeth- deepseaminerals.net
er this record-breaking edition, with
more than 110 pages. And knowing
that it sometimes takes a month to
only arrange an interview, let alone
waiting on approvals, it is easy to see
why six weeks is not that long.
What does all of this have to do
with our core feature? Well, I’ve got
two jobs. I also collect core, mostly
from the North Sea. It’s core that is
discarded by the industry as soon as
fields are decommissioned, or from
exploration wells that were cored but
turned out dry.
In that capacity, I recently had
the opportunity to take delivery of a
core from Libya. That doesn’t happen
every day. The cores had been sent to
Core 3, GG18-11, 3,113-3,122 ft, showing an undulating base of a shallow water carbonate succession
Scotland for special core analysis, but overlying anhydrites.
were apparently never claimed back
by the operator. As such, they were
sitting in a warehouse for years, until ploration wells. Our orphaned core And finally, what is shown here?
the space was needed and the owners sits in the same warehouse where the Eocene anhydrites and carbonates
called me to come to the rescue. And core barrels and core bits are waiting from the Hon Formation in the
that’s why these cores are now ours. to be deployed, going all over the Ed Dib field in the western part of
And being an editor at the same place. Isn’t that nice? the Sirte Basin in Libya, probably
time, knowing how difficult it can And now we are back to the be- drilled by Suncor. The best part of
P H O T O G R A P H Y: H E N K K O M B R I N K

be to have some core images released ginning; we are close to the print the succession is the undulating
from places that do not have a nice deadline, but I’m in the lucky po- transition between gypsum – now
public repository, I grabbed this op- sition to just take a photo of a core anhydrite – deposited under hy-
portunity to feature some of our core that I would otherwise not have had persaline conditions, to an inter-
by just driving to Reservoir Group, access to by any stretch of the imag- val of carbonates, deposited during
where we have some space to store ination. And in the meantime, I also times of slight sea-level rise that al-
this material. Yes, Reservoir Group, had a nice chat again with Steve Rait, lowed deposition mainly of micritic
the company that cuts cores in many who so kindly offered us some storage aragonite.
of the world’s highly anticipated ex- room on his site about a year ago. Henk Kombrink

110 | GEO EXPRO 3-2025 GEO EXPRO 3-2025 | 111

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