Is Magnetic Susceptibility the next major step forward in core and wireline logging ?

Martin Cox from Advanced Downhole Petrophysics reviewed the work done so far on this project

Martin’s Bio and Abstract are     here      and also his presentation can be found   here

Martin has shared his presentation and also volunteered a number (8) of his background technical papers, click to open any of the papers         Case Study of Cuttings     Journal of Sedimentary Geology     Mag Susceptibility Wytch Farm Study     MagPI brochure        Petrophysics Paper 2007       Petrophysics Paper 2011         Society of Core Analysts paper     Society of Economic Geology Extract

Ian Fairchild from the University of Birmingham gave a talk “Escaping Snowball Earth”  Did the Earth really suffer the totally encapsulating climatic catastrophe of a Snowball Earth

Ian’s bio and full abstract      here

21st May: talk by Matthew Taylor of Chariot Oil & Gas (talk title to be confirmed)

15_01_22_ThreeTalks

GWL Cluster Meeting

Thursday 18th December, 2014; 6:00 for 6:30 pm

“A Tale of Ten Prospects; from the first UK onshore to the present day”

This presentation will take place in the Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy.

Refreshments will be available from 6:00 pm.

 Speaker overview:

Stephen Corfield is a consultant based in Staffordshire. He graduated in 1986 with an Earth Sciences degree from Oxford Polytechnic and subsequently gained a PhD from the University of Keele on the structure and basin evolution of the North Staffordshire coalfield.

This was followed by post-doctoral research from 1991-194 at the University of Manchester funded by Conoco during which time he set up the department’s first 3D seismic interpretation workstation.

He worked at Robertsons’s from 1994 to 2001 which included four years of commuting to Norway to consult for Norsk Hydro.

In 2001, he returned to Manchester to set up a Norsk Hydro funded 3D seismic lab with a small team of researchers.

Since 2003, he has been a consultant working mainly for Norsk Hydro (now Statoil) in Bergen and London and Foster Findlay Associates in Aberdeen.

Abstract:

Although the first offshore exploration wells in the UK were drilled in the 1960’s, the story of UK onshore exploration goes back much further to the days of the First World War. This first phase of oil exploration from 1918-22 has been relatively undocumented and has been overshadowed by the later activities of the D’Arcy Exploration Company (subsequently BP) from the late 1930’s onwards.

The purpose of this talk is to redress the balance and take a look at the ten prospects drilled and their history to the present day.

The talk will will review the structures and wells drilled using data from the 1920’s plus more recent seismic data and conclude with a comment on the recently completed licensing round.

GWL Cluster Meeting

Thursday 20^th November, 2014; 6:00 for 6:30 pm

“The North Celtic Sea Basin, a Resurgent Proven Hydrocarbon Province”

This presentation will take place in the Mostyn Art Gallery, 12 Vaughan Street, Llandudno.

Refreshments will be available from 6:00 pm.  Please note the change of venue for this month’s talk caused by the Cambrian Academy again not being available.

 Speaker & company overview:

Steve Boldy is C.E.O of Lansdowne Oil & Gas Limited, an exploration and production company focused on the Celtic Sea Offshore Ireland, which is listed on AIM in London.

After completing a B.Sc in geology at London University, he gained an M.Sc in sedimentology from Reading University and a Ph.D in geology from Trinity College Dublin.

Steve commenced working on the Irish Offshore in 1980 at the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Irish Department of Energy. He moved to Amerada Hess in London in 1984 and worked there for 19 years, primarily on NW Europe, but also on projects in South America, Africa and SE Asia.

In 2003 he returned to Ireland as Vice President Ireland for Ramco and he led the flotation of Lansdowne Oil & Gas in 2006. Lansdowne participated in the 48/24-10z Barryroe Field appraisal well, operated by Providence Resources that was completed in 2012 and tested at flow rates of close to 4,000 boepd. The Celtic Sea has seen a rejuvenation of activity, with increased licensing and the first acquisition of extensive 3D seismic surveys and this is expected to lead to further drilling.

Abstract:

Exploration in the shallow water North Celtic Sea Basin (NCSB) off the south coast of Ireland started in the early 1970’s and was quickly rewarded with the discovery of the Kinsale Head gas field by the third well drilled in the basin (48/25-2) in 1971. Gas in the Kinsale Head Field is contained in Lower Cretaceous reservoir sands and the field commenced production in 1978.

Exploration continued through the 1970’s primarily focused on inversion structures, similar to Kinsale Head and this led to the discovery of additional gas and deeper oil in the Seven Heads structure. The oil is waxy in nature, the product of Upper Jurassic lacustrine shales.

Once onstream the Kinsale Head Field fulfilled demand for gas in Ireland and in the 1980’s the exploration effort focused on searching for oil. Furthermore, spurred on by the success of Wytch Farm in Dorset, attention focused on earlier tilted fault block structures that had not been impacted to any great degree by the later effects of basin inversion in the Cenozoic. This led to the discovery of the Jurassic Helvick oil field with the drilling of the 49/9-2 well in 1983, the peak year for exploration in the NCSB with 7 wells drilled. The oil in the Helvick discovery is a low-wax, typical marine crude oil sourced from the Liassic shales.

Therefore, by the mid 1980’s three working petroleum systems had been established in the NCS, but exploration activity declined gradually through to the mid 1990’s when drilling ceased altogether for a number of years.

Since 2000 the basin has undergone a rejuvenation of activity with increased licensing, the first extensive acquisition of 3D seismic and a return to drilling.

The talk will review the history of activity, discuss the petroleum systems and discuss future potential and activity.

GWL Cluster Meeting

Date: TBC; 6:00 for 6:30 pm at the RCA, Crown Lane, Conwy

“The North Celtic Sea Basin, a Resurgent Proven Hydrocarbon Province”

Speaker Overview:

Steve Boldy is C.E.O of Lansdowne Oil & Gas Limited, an exploration and production company focused on the Celtic Sea Offshore Ireland, which is listed on AIM in London.

After completing a B.Sc in geology at London University, he gained an M.Sc in sedimentology from Reading University and a Ph.D in geology from Trinity College Dublin.

Steve commenced working on the Irish Offshore in 1980 at the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Irish Department of Energy. He moved to Amerada Hess in London in 1984 and worked there for 19 years, primarily on NW Europe, but also on projects in South America, Africa and SE Asia.

In 2003 he returned to Ireland as Vice President Ireland for Ramco and he led the flotation of Lansdowne Oil & Gas in 2006. Lansdowne participated in the 48/24-10z Barryroe Field appraisal well, operated by Providence Resources that was completed in 2012 and tested at flow rates of close to 4,000 boepd. The Celtic Sea has seen a rejuvenation of activity, with increased licensing and the first acquisition of extensive 3D seismic surveys and this is expected to lead to further drilling.

Abstract:

Exploration in the shallow water North Celtic Sea Basin (NCSB) off the south coast of Ireland started in the early 1970’s and was quickly rewarded with the discovery of the Kinsale Head gas field by the third well drilled in the basin (48/25-2) in 1971. Gas in the Kinsale Head Field is contained in Lower Cretaceous reservoir sands and the field commenced production in 1978.

Exploration continued through the 1970’s primarily focused on inversion structures, similar to Kinsale Head and this led to the discovery of additional gas and deeper oil in the Seven Heads structure. The oil is waxy in nature, the product of Upper Jurassic lacustrine shales.

Once onstream the Kinsale Head Field fulfilled demand for gas in Ireland and in the 1980’s the exploration effort focused on searching for oil. Furthermore, spurred on by the success of Wytch Farm in Dorset, attention focused on earlier tilted fault block structures that had not been impacted to any great degree by the later effects of basin inversion in the Cenozoic. This led to the discovery of the Jurassic Helvick oil field with the drilling of the 49/9-2 well in 1983, the peak year for exploration in the NCSB with 7 wells drilled. The oil in the Helvick discovery is a low-wax, typical marine crude oil sourced from the Liassic shales.

Therefore, by the mid 1980’s three working petroleum systems had been established in the NCS, but exploration activity declined gradually through to the mid 1990’s when drilling ceased altogether for a number of years.

Since 2000 the basin has undergone a rejuvenation of activity with increased licensing, the first extensive acquisition of 3D seismic and a return to drilling.

The talk will review the history of activity, discuss the petroleum systems and discuss future potential and activity.