Mike Saur and Mark Wallace, ION Geophysical
Article from January issue of E&P

It is widely acknowledged that the economic viability of shale plays has primarily been a result of advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. These innovations have significantly changed the near-term natural gas supply picture, creating an overabundance of natural gas supplies in North America. The lingering effects of the recession and the surge in unconventional supply coming from accelerated drilling, driven by expiring leases, have led many government agencies and industry analysts to forecast a long-term low-price environment in North America.

Read the full article. 

By ION Reservoir Solutions
Article from December/January issue
of PESA

More than 70% of the world's undiscovered reserves are reportedly held in unconventional reservoirs. As such, these fracture dependent plays are becoming the focus of E&P companies globally. Higher risk in these plays hampers success. ION has made advances in acquisition, processing, and interpretation techniques to address unconventional reservoirs and help E&P companies lower this risk.

Read the full article.

By Bob Peebler, CEO, ION Geophysical
Article from January issue of First Break

Oil companies will continue to push into more difficult frontiers with the realization that new conventional reserves are very difficult to find, and are usually in harsh environments such as deep water, the Arctic, or environmentally sensitive areas that are hard to reach. Unconventional resources, such as oil and gas shales, have also become significant targets for exploitation, and it is expected that this phenomenon will rapidly spread around the world, potentially shifting dramatically the energy strategies of both consuming and producing nations.

Read the full article.

By Jane Whaley
Article from November issue of GeoExpro

The Arctic is the next, and maybe the most challenging, global frontier - but how can it be effectively explored with only a two-month ice-free season?

"The Arctic is surely the next large global frontier, but it is going to take time and effort to effectively explore," says Joe Gagliardi, Director for Arctic Solutions and Technology for seismic solutions company, ION Geophysical. "For some time, we have been working to help companies understand this vast area and assist them with their strategic analyses. But to do that, we need to fill the exploration time gap. If we are to take Arctic exploration further, we can't rely on the limited period of open water in these frozen seas - one to two months at the most. We have to rethink and modify our methods of marine seismic data acquisition."

Read the interview.

By Rhonda Duey, Senior Editor
Article from December issue of E&P

The oil industry can be a very unforgiving place. Just when it seems the cycles are becoming predictable, something happens to stand conventional wisdom on its ear. For example, it used to be that signs of an uptick were first felt in the most upstream part of the market - geophysical companies. But when the market began to turn around in 2004, these were the companies that continued to struggle while day rates for rigs went through the roof. That does not mean the folks who head up geophysical companies are no longer good prognosticators. To keep their companies solvent, they have to be. So to get a handle on what the oil and gas industry has to look forward to in the coming years, E&P talked to Bob Peebler, CEO of ION Geophysical, one of the world's largest seismic technology companies.

 

Read the full article.