From Black Magic to Swarms: Hydrocarbon Exploration using Non-Seismic Technologies

Why don't hydrocarbon detection methods always work?" Only one third of recent exploration new venture opportunities used surface hydrocarbon detection methods to calibrate the presence of charge in the system. There are distinct differences between the manifestation of hydrocarbons at surface in these environments, which drive the methods applied and ultimately the way in which we interpret these data. Most commercially available onshore ground-based techniques are restricted in their application to prospect-scale assessment, primarily because of logistics and costs. Unfortunately, prospect-scale application often results in ambiguous or misleading results. Offshore applications of surface hydrocarbon methods are better calibrated and practiced. Airborne and satellite systems are commonly used in basin-scale applications. Non-seismic geophysical exploration techniques are important strategic components of the exploration toolkit when properly calibrated and applied. In this paper we review non-seismic exploration technologies including gravity, magnetics, marine electromagnetics, airborne EM, magnetotellurics, remote sensing, LightTouch, and others, indicate recent advances and developments that have enhanced their value, and present real examples and case histories that illustrate the benefits in using combinations of these tools for large scale exploration activities.