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The well-rounded petroleum geophysicist

Apache Corporation, Houston, Texas, U.S.

Corresponding author: M. Bahorich, mike.bahorich@usa.apachecorp.com

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

The following paragraphs were excerpted from ads on the Internet in July 2000:

Join a fast-paced exploration and production company exploring for oil and gas. The successful candidate will be a proven oil and gas finder who can generate and screen prospects. Proficient on interpretation workstations, with knowledge of database and mapping software. Will have a well-rounded background in seismic interpretation, processing, acquisition, modeling, and attribute mapping. ...

As a key member of an exploration team, you will be engaged in play evaluation and prospect generation with a clear focus on establishing petroleum reserves. Detailed responsibilities include:

• Establishing regional and play specific structural and isochron maps.
  
• Identifying, evaluating, and creating a risked inventory of exploration prospects within the basins of interest.
  
• Working with a geologist, a reservoir engineer, and a landman on the development of exploration opportunities and developing a strategic exploration/business plan to capture these opportunities and add value.
  
• Participating in the evaluation of acquisition opportunities that complement the exploration focus.
  

Required skills:

• Workstation-based regional and prospect-specific 2-D and 3-D seismic interpretation
  
• Seismic facies interpret for reservoir and seal mapping
  
• Well log interpretation of lithofacies and depositional environments, wellsite geology
  
• Outcrop and core interpretation of lithofacies
  
• Reserve estimation and evaluation of prospect economics
  
• Practical application of sequence and seismic stratigraphic techniques
  
• Seismic well ties
  
• Interpretation of paleontologic data and salt tectonics
  

My point in quoting these ads is that well-rounded geophysical prospectors with a "nose for oil" will continue to be sought out in an increasingly competitive environment for talent. However, I have no doubt that a well-rounded background in certain particular technical skills and business are now and will be of enormous benefit to the exploration geophysicists who must sift . . . [Full Text of this Article]