Horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing technologies that have enabled companies to unlock large amounts of gas from shaley source rocks are now targeting similar rocks for oil and gas liquids.

Colombia’s regulatory reforms are paying dividends, with dozens of new oil and gas discoveries over the past two years – yet ‘rediscovered’ older fields are carrying the country to new production records.

The East African Rift System is now one of the world’s ‘exploration hotspots’, potentially just as significant for landlocked Africa and its underexplored rift systems as the Barnett Shale in Texas was to the birth of unconventional shale gas in North America.

The continued application of new technologies is opening up a new exploration frontier in the deepwater Kwanza Basin.

A recent well drilled by the Scottish company Cairn Energy has, for the first time, proven oil offshore West Greenland.

What started as a major shale gas play, the Eagle Ford Shale could be the sixth largest U.S. oilfield ever discovered and the largest in forty years.

Miocene deep water sands were the target for the Macondo well in Mississippi Canyon Block 252, and it is probably from one of these sands that the blowout originates.

Last year, the Keathley Canyon area yielded three of the world’s top oil finds, bringing in high leasing bids and continued drilling activity.

Compared to the other Middle Eastern countries, Jordan does not have a significant position in terms of conventional oil and gas resources. According toOil & Gas Journal (21 December 2009), the kingdom’s known oil reserves are only one million barrels and that of natural gas is 213 billion cubic feet.

Discovered in 2000 at the Elm Coulee Field in Montana, Williston Basin’s Bakken Formation is currently the hottest onshore oil play in the U. S. and Canada.

Giant discoveries in the pre-salt play are expected to boost Brazil's production to almost 6MMbopd within 10 years.

The surprising discovery of some 600MMbo of oil in Tertiary carbonates in a mature basin has vitalized the Indonesian oil industry.

Afghanistan has just launched its very first licensing round. Three blocks with 6 proven oil and gas fields are up for grabs in the Amy Darya Basin next to Turkmenistan.

"Victoria is probably the largest undeveloped discovery on the Norwegian continental shelf," title Rune Hope said in a presentation he gave to the 3rdbiennial petroleum geology conference "Exploration Revived 2009" in Bergen in March. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate it may contain at least 118 Bm3 of gas (4Tcf; 740MMboe), possibly more.

Iceland has announced their very first oil and gas licensing round. Some 40,000 square kilometres are offered on the Jan Mayen Ridge that lies between Norway and Iceland.