<DrumBeat: October 15, 2007The Oil DrumPeak Minerals>

298 comments on Prepping for Peak: How Fast Can We Change?

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westexas on October 14, 2007 - 4:52pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I used to think that I was smart (after an early string of shallow oil discoveries about 20 years ago). I then realized that I was lucky. I now simply characterize myself as persistent.

This test well was the fourth well on a photogeologically mapped surface structure, following three prior dry holes. We weren't able to run a DST because of a lost circulation zone up the hole, so we had to make a casing point election off the logs. Once we saw the logs, there was no question about running pipe.

But fundamentally the discovery was due to the persistence of my principal joint venture partner, who is determined to test my ideas (along with several other key joint venture participants). I am now in the "interesting" position of having two drilling rigs dedicated almost solely to my prospects.

I have actually been turning down Peak Oil speaking requests, but I wanted to do the ASPO-USA gig, and perversely enough, after not doing any speaking gigs since last year, I was asked to debate Michael Economides at Texas A&M (where I got a BS and where Robert got a Master's degree), so I couldn't turn them down. I'm at A&M on Wednesday, and then in Houston on Thursday.

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oilmanbob on October 14, 2007 - 6:03pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

My son's an Aggie at the Galveston campus as his interests are marine science. Persistent always seemed a nice way to describe the Aggie personality, the less pretty ways are obstinate and hard-headed. Its a great school, I'm really proud of my son, he's hard-working and a great guy, but, like all you Aggies, obstinate and hard-headed .

I've always been fascinated by surface geology as an exploration method. For some reason its been out of fashion for the last 60 years or so, but it found more oil fields than any other technique other than seismic. And, its still useful today I suspect if people would just pay attention. I can show you four good wildcat locations in the city of Houston, which are easy to see on the surface.
There's been 15-20 feet of subsidence because of ground water withdrawel for city water, and the town is full of active faults. The Coastal Subsidence District has them mapped, and they show highs by looking at the typography. Most of the water withdrawn was from fairly deep Miocene sands, so they exist at depth. Since Harris County is truly great producing country in really great trends, they'd all make decent prospects, but just as big a pain in the posterior as the Barnett Shale in Tarrant and Dallas counties to produce. They are all in areas that were too urbanised in 1930 to be worth wildcatting,
Bob Ebersole

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markincalgary on October 15, 2007 - 1:43pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I've seen these kinds of generalizations (one could even call them prejudices) about post-secondary schools before, but don't share them. After working with people from different schools, departments within schools, and research work-groups, I've come to the conclusion that these sorts of generalizations don't apply. Perhaps certain schools select for a particular personality-type, but I've never had the opportunity to work at one... Of course, I don't have the right personality-type to work at these institutions.

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