Oil's hired ears strike it rich
Remarkable advances in seismic technology have dramatically raised the odds of success in drilling for oil and gas. Geophysical Systems, a contractor regarded by market analysts as a product innovator rather than simply a seismic laborer, has devised technology that permits its equipment to record seismic data at 1024 different locations simultaneously (compared with the standard 96). Computers have introduced a whole new dimension to the seismic business by reworking old data and revealing previously unnoticed bright spots holding commercial amounts of oil and gas. The geophysicists' ambition is to reproduce seismic pictures with the fine detail of a glossy photograph by increasing the resolution of the maps. Another company, Geophysical Service, has pioneered the three-dimensional seismic process by mapping an area in a tight grid pattern and producing a cube of information; this method, however, costs 3-10 times as much as the standard survey.
- OSTI ID:
- 5351266
- Journal Information:
- Fortune; (United States), Vol. 105
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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02 PETROLEUM
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
EXPLORATION
WELL DRILLING
DRILLING
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
MINERAL RESOURCES
RESOURCES
SURVEYS
030200* - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
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020200 - Petroleum- Reserves
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