History of petroleum geology

Stub content is from TU Delft.

This would make a good timeline. (If anyone is keen, I will install an extension to help with this, Matt 02:36, 11 September 2011 (UTC))

Before 1900

 * No “petroleum geology”; all oil discovered through seepages (Appalachian, California, Baku, Ploesti, Peru, Egypt, Borneo,...)
 * “Anticlinal theory” known but not used in practice
 * Many fields located in so-called “geomorphic traps” (where the reservoir rock is truncated by a recent erosion surface)
 * Drake well in 1859 first to discover oil (Pennsylvania)
 * Internal combustion engine invented in mid-1800s, by Otto, Daimler, Benz, Diesel, et al.

1901–1924

 * “Anticlinal theory” put in practice with Spindletop well in Texas (1901)
 * Important discoveries in Lake Maracaibo (Venezuela), Masjid-y- Suleiman (Iran), Trinidad, Borneo, Mexico, Oklahoma, San Joaquin Valley, California (all USA)
 * Petroleum geology is distinctly American; foundation of AAPG
 * Bolivar Coastal field: first in homoclinal trap, first offshore, first large field with heavy oil, launches
 * Standard Oil becomes first major oil company
 * Automobiles and gas stoves proliferate

1925–1945

 * Important discoveries in La Paz (Venezuela), Kirkuk (Iraq; carbonate reservoir!), numerous fields in Middle East (most also carbonates)
 * Oil is organic, not inorganic; micropaleontology and organic geochemistry developed as important tools
 * Technological breakthroughs: Rotary drilling, torsion balance, gravimeter, reflection seismology, electrical well logs, perforations; wells to 3000 metres depth (before to 1000 m)
 * World Petroleum Congress founded

1945–1960

 * Drilling boom, discovery of major oil fields in Middle East, USA, Western Canada, Russian platform
 * Drilling depths reach 6000 meters; gas became important
 * Important insights into hydrocarbon migration and accumulation (e.g. by King Hubbert; Levorsen)
 * Sedimentology becomes important to understand reservoirs
 * Log-normal distribution of oil fields noted

1960–1980

 * Offshore drilling technology developed
 * Discovery of North Sea, Libya, Nigeria, Siberia, eastern Mexico oil provinces
 * “Subtle traps” (e.g. North Dome in Qatar)
 * Vast improvement of seismic acquisition and processing; becomes vital exploration tool
 * Further technological improvements in drilling, construction, and logging

1980–2005

 * Passive margins plays discovered, eg in Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, Brazil
 * Deep to ultra-deep drilling technology developed
 * Huge carbonate fields in intra-cratonic setting discovered (Peri-Caspian oil province, eg Tengiz, Kashagan)
 * 3D and 4D seismic provide volumetric and dynamic picture of reservoirs; leads to seismic stratigraphy
 * Integration of petroleum disciplines; computerized workflows
 * Half of the “easy oil” is produced

Since 2005

 * Oil price has been consistently over $40/bbl, which is roughly break-even price for thermal bitumen projects in the Athabasca bitumen play of Alberta
 * The development of technology, and need for secure oil, has driven huge growth in bitumen production
 * Between 2005 and 2009, the gas price was above $5/BTU
 * As a result, and because of technological advances in hydraulic fracturing driven by tight gas exploitation, shale gas plays became very important
 * Microseismic and borehole seismic have seen rapid development