Articles
Can You Read This in Three Minutes
Perry Kotkas
As First Vice President, I find out that it's my honour / responsibility / opportunity to "do an article for the Recorder" ... (If it's too long, nobody will read it, if it's too short, the Editor will kill me, and I have no great theme upon which to expound!)…
Doodlebug Golf Tournament
Maybe Bob Dylan said it best (although you may not have understood him) with the phrase: "Well, the times they are a changin" you probably heard them as "weeeeh, na taames...deharhaa jaajiin". The Doodlebug Golf Tournament is making a change of sorts.
... The Impact of Low Oil Prices on the Canadian Geophysical Sector
Gordon Cope
Last month, the CSEG Recorder looked at the impact of low oil prices on the petroleum industry in North America. In our second part of the series, we look at the repercussions to the Canadian geophysical sector.
... De-coding Y2K
Nattalia Lea
The apathy towards the Y2K bug has led some to believe that nothing is going to change except the year 2000, comes after midnight on December 31st this year. Despite the hoopla that the Y2K bug can or may cause, most dis-believers have a wait and see attitude. "I suppose…
Survey, Navigation and Positioning Guidelines for 3D Marine Seismic Survey Specifications
Bruce Calderbank
Guidelines for readily achievable survey, navigation and positioning specifications for 3D marine seismic surveys are provided in a check list type format detailing: the survey and configuration parameters; the type, quantity and criteria for the equipment; checks, verifications and calibrations; rejection and termination criteria; and deliverables. Each system or component…
Assessing Oil and Gas Future Production, and the End of Cheap Oil?
J.H. Laherrere
Reserve volumes are estimated and are therefore uncertain until the last day of production. In calculating reserves, different estimates will be obtained from the deterministic and probability methods of reserve estimation. Also, there is often confusion between defining reserves (expected production) and resources (potential in the ground). Furthermore, there is…
Towards The Next Millennium
Nattalia Lea
No doubt the petroleum industry has everyone on edge. Higher oil prices have failed to materialize and layoffs have once again become a fact of life. Downturns are a trademark of this business, while eternal optimists only speculate that an upswing is just around the corner. Not that anybody can…
The Oil Crisis – The Big Picture
Gordon Cope
Steve Curtis is a 44-year old geophysicist based in Calgary, Canada. For the last 20 years, he has explored for oil and natural gas in the Canadian oilpatch, as well as internationally, in Australia and Southeast Asia. In early February, Curtis and half a dozen other exploration staff were called…
3-D Seismic Acquisition Techniques in Culturally Difficult Areas
Kevin Pelletier
Late 1970's 2-D exploration in northern Canada revealed a pinnacle reef structure, in the "Leduc" formation. The structure appeared to be promising, but Mobil Oil of Canada, who owned the exploration rights, was uncertain of the commercial value of the property. By 1996 favorable market conditions, coupled with decreasing costs…
The Application of Multibeam Mapping to Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production
R.A. Pickrill
The development of multibeam mapping, (swath mapping), has been one of the most significant technological advance for marine geologists over the last 15 years. Traditional hydrographic surveys with single incidence echo sounders relied on a grid of tracks, between which data was interpolated. Multibeam systems replaced the Single transducer with…
Memorial Scholarship – Robert (Bob) Won, P. Geoph
Perry Kotkas
This article catches some fleeting glimpses into the life and times of Bob Won, who passed away at the age of 59 years in Calgary from cancer of the pancreas.
... ASEG ‘98 Conference
"Crossing the Borders" was the theme of the 11th International Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists conference held in Hobart, Tasmania this year which was co-hosted by both the SEG and EAGE. The theme revolved around the integration of methods which are traditionally "petroleum" or "mining" geophysics into other branches of…
Interpreting Sand Channels from 3C-3D Seismic Inversions
John Pendrel, Robert R. Stewart and Paul Van Riel
Shear waves can provide vital lithologic information, especially in combination with traditional P-wave seismic data or when P-wave sections contain ambiguities. An example is the Lower Cretaceous Glauconite Channel play of southern Alberta, Canada. Here channels can be filled with sands and / or shales, each with similar P-wave impedances.…
4D Seismic: Can a Difference Make a Difference?
David H. Johnston
4D seismic reservoir monitoring (timelapse seismic) has the potential to significantly increase recovery in existing and new fields. Changes in fluid saturation, pressure, and temperature that occur during production induce changes in the reservoir's density and compressibility that may be detected by differencing repeated seismic data. As a result, seismic…
Past President’s Luncheon & Past Technical Meetings
Nattalia Lea
Last November 23, 1998's past president's luncheon, held at the Palliser Hotel, was a far cry from earlier meetings. For starters, a few past presidents have left town. Francis Hale CSEG president '60 now hails from Tucson, H.J. Kidder CSEG '59 from Dallas and Dennis O'Brien CSEG '79 from Denver.…
Waiting to Rock and Roll with Shake – A CSEG Superfund Up-Date
Nattalia Lea
Last year, when the CSEG Superfund awarded $8,000 to an earthquake awareness outreach project proposed by Dr. David Eaton, an earth sciences assistant professor from the University of Western Ontario - the timing could not have been more perfect. On September 25, 1998, a moderate earthquake of 5.2 on the…
Depth Imaging of Elastic Wavefields – Where P Meets S
Brian H. Hoffe and Laurence R. Lines
The multicomponent recording of reflected elastic wavefields allows for an analysis of compressional and shear wave velocities. For seismic arrivals initiated by dynamite sources and reflected from a layered sedimentary system, it is natural to consider both P and P-S reflections as recorded on vertical and inline components of the…
The Seismic Velocity Model as an Interpretation Asset February 8, 1999
A velocity model can have enduring and growing interpretive value, beyond its initial creation to optimize the seismic image. The 3D velocity model is often built carefully with a combination of geophysical and geological input, because of the accuracy demands placed on it by the requirements of depth imaging. As…
Seismic Acquisition Forum 1998
Nattalia Lea
A little bit of snow on the roads didn't deter 470 participants from stampeding down to the Calgary Convention Centre for the Seismic Acquisition Fall Forum, dubbed Before the First Shot. Industry representatives, contractors, government agencies and consultants came to network, brainstorm and share ideas. Sponsored by the Canadian Society…
Structural, stratigraphic and tectonic resolution of marine 3-D seismic data, Jeanne d'Arc Basin Offshore Newfoundland
M.E. Enachescu, G.W. Smee, P.J. Meehan, D.J. Emery, A. Skuce and L.T. Brady
The largest seismic survey to date in Canada was acquired during the summer of 1997 in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin, off Newfoundland. Over 70,000 CDP km. distributed in an area of approximately 2000 sq. km. was collected on behalf of 10 oil companies active in the area. This survey covers…
