Geology

Bouma and Tybalt

The Bouma sequence, proposed by Arnold Bouma, has been a cornerstone in the interpretation of turbidites and high-density sediment currents since its publication in 1962. The Bouma sequence is a…

Can a seal fail?

A seal is a rock that has a higher capillary entry pressure relative to other adjacent rocks. The higher the contrast, the greater the hydrocarbon column it can hold. The…

Don’t forget to look deeper

As oil and gas geoscientists, we often focus on the reservoir we are targeting. Seldom do we consider what might be happening deeper, especially in basement rocks. However, what happens…

Not as straight as we sometimes think

Of course, field observations have long shown that faults are not the perfectly straight lines we often see in schematic cross-sections. However, subsurface data do not always allow the detailed…

Who’s Andy? And what did he know about faults?

Anderson’s theory classified faults based on the orientation and magnitude of the principle stresses. The magnitudes are defined by S1 (maximum stress), S2 (intermediate stress) and S3 (minimum stress). The…

The further from shore the more sand

Looking at this cross-section from the Norwegian Sea, showing Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene sediments, a surprising thing seems to happen. The amount of sand increases going westwards, away from the…

Middle East as an analogue

The Seram fold and thrust belt in Eastern Indonesia is an underexplored area. Yet, it shares many characteristics with fold and thrust belts with proven hydrocarbon potential in the Middle…