ABSTRACT
Several examples of technological paradigm shifts in the oil and gas industry resulted in significant changes to the strategies, plans, and economics of energy companies. In the 1990s, improvements in computer hardware and geoscience desktop applications, along with the acquisition of large regional exploration-oriented 3D seismic data volumes, improved exploration efficiency and effectiveness. Explorationists were, for the first time, able to see 3D geologic interpretations of the subsurface. This enabled a radical enhancement in their ability to pick optimal locations for leases, wells, and even production facilities. Seismic, however, is not a perfect model of the subsurface, and in early 3D seismic interpretation there were many inaccuracies. As a simple example, seismic data is measured in time and can be erroneous when converted to depth. As understandings matured, new technologies were released and improved techniques were implemented, and the overall exploration success rates increased significantly.
