Druckenmiller gets it: McMoRan, Druckenmiller Seek to Break Well Record.
June 12 (Bloomberg) -- McMoRan Exploration Co. and an energy firm backed by hedge fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller plan to extend a Gulf of Mexico well abandoned last year by Exxon Mobil Corp. to 35,000 feet (10,670 meters), which would surpass the record held by Chevron Corp.
McMoRan reached a depth of 31,943 feet at its South Timbalier Block 168 No. 1 well, formerly known as Blackbeard, the company said today in a statement. That was 1,876 feet deeper than Exxon drilled before it gave up on the natural-gas project in 2006 and handed control to McMoRan last year.
New Orleans-based McMoRan intends to ask the U.S. Minerals Management Service for permission to deepen the well to 35,000 feet, which would break the record set by Chevron and its partners in 2005 at Knotty Head, which plunged to 34,189 feet below the sea surface, the deepest well ever bored.
At such depths, pipes and drill bits can disintegrate or collapse because of high pressure and temperatures that approach 600 degrees Fahrenheit (316 Celsius).
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON ULTRA-DEEPWATER, DEEP-DRILLING NEWS
ReplyDeleteEditorial note: This is preliminary in nature so there are no references, but will be followed up with a detailed comment.
THIS website follows ultra-deepwater, deep-drilling for good reason -- that's where the big boys are heading, deepwater.
At this point, the continental margin is the focus of deepwater activity, as this website has reported off the coast of Brazil and West African coast.
It has also been in the news lately that world governments have been in a "mad scramble" to stake claims to offshore waters up to 350 miles from national coast lines, this also includes colonial possession islands, which has raised a few eyebrows.
The goverments wouldn't be doing that for the heck of it. Somebody is telling the governments there is oil down there. Also, this is abiotic oil -- the science is in.
Additional news is that while the accepted scientific view was that oceanic basins were rather new and not likely to have oil deposits. New scientific analysis has come forward from detailed macro seismic studies suggesting that in reality oceanic crust is, at least in parts, particularly at the continental margin, really sunken continental crust of much older vintage than had been previously recognized.
The tentitive conclusion is that deep ocean basins may, indeed, have oil trapping geological structures.
Information is that international oil geologists working for the oil majors have indicated that ultra-deepwater exploration is the focus of the oil industry in the next few years (try 20 years). These confirmations were given after attending a major international oil geologist conference in Europe.
This website has been at the forefront of ultra-deepwater exploration and investment.
The geological structures in these "sunken continents" are anticlinal (folding) formations, ideal for oil retention in large reservoirs.
Dolomite, remember the massive ancient dolomite deposits and its association with oil.
There's a reason Petrobas has contracted to buy 40 X 750 million Dollar a pop drilling ships.
This oil is literally at the bottom of the ocean. It is not organic detritus. It is abiotic oil.
NEW CONCEPTS IN GLOBAL TECTONICS
ReplyDeleteReference,
Organized Opposition to Plate Tectonics,
David Pratt, 2006
(available on Google, search NCGT)
This is the title of a news letter by an organization that challenges aspects of The Tectonic, Continental Drift theory.
The major challenge is to the idea that all oceanic crust is "young" by geological standards. The accepted theory is that almost all oceanic crust is 200 million years old or less.
But what if large pieces are older?
An older, more complex, sedimentary laden oceanic crust would have profound impact on accepted geologic theories of Earth's geo-mechanics and would change the dynamics of ultra-deepwater, deep-drilling oil exploration and discovery.
Much more territory could be suitable for possible oil exploration and production, challenging technological limits, yet, again.
(Pushing technological limits has been one of the hallmarks of the offshore sector in the oil industry.)
Although, with the ultra-deepwater drill rigs now available, with TVD (Total Verticle Depth) capability of 40,000 feet, in up to 12,000 feet of water, few areas would be beyond today's technology.
So, what to make of this dissident view of the science of plate tectonics?
The referenced piece is informative and relatively short. Beyond a brief explanation of the range of dissident theories, what was interesting was the charge that scientific observations had been suppressed, which didn't fit the accepted theory of plate tectonics.
A serious charge in scientific circles, as the scientific method obhors suppression of physical observations, but rather, holds that physical observations should be debated and subject to reasoned discussion and review.
The best that can be done is to follow the scientific observations, while admitting that reasonable men can come to different conclusions as to the observations validity and significance.
Weigh the scientific evidence and be open to revising accepted ideas based on new and more acute observations.
DESCRIPTION OF 'SUNKEN CONTINENTS' A BOON TO OIL INDUSTRY
ReplyDeleteReference,
NCGT News Letter, Issue 45, Editorial, December 2007.
Louis Hissink's Crazy World: Refutation of Clark's points that petroleum is biogenic, June 2, 2008(contains NCGT editorial)
(OIM) Post, Keep It Simple, September, 20, 2007, Comments #1-4, 4/14-17/08.
Abstract of Comments:
These comments open with reviewing successful ultra-deepwater, deep-drilling, and delve into the possibilty of deep ocean exploration and discovery of giant oil deposits. The comments discuss the continental margin, but also discuss areas beyond the continental margin.
THIS writer has been intriqued by the prospect of oil exploration and discovery in the deep ocean and what it could mean for world petroleum production and "proving" abiotic oil.
The editorial reviews the scientific evidence for the existence of "sunken continents" which would provide oil bearing geological structures for exploration and discovery.
Here are several quotes:
"Widespread presence of ancient, continental rocks in the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans."
"Proterozoic structures on the continents continue into the ocean floor."
"Seismic data indicating that the oceanic crust consists of folded, and block-faulted basin filling sedimentary rocks at its top section."
"We can now say that the so-called oceanic crust is primarily continental crust which has been locally altered or metamorphosed in interaction with upper mantel."
"Another important fact brought forward by our contributors is that the present deep oceans were formed in Jurassic to Paleogene time - before that, most of the present oceans had been subaerially exposed and formed paleolands. Mesozoic-Cenozoic basins of great economic interest are well developed in some areas of deep oceans mainly near the present continental margins."
"The new picture - that continental "oceanic crust" (or sunken continents) underlies the Mesozoic-Cenozoic basins and basalts is a great gift for the oil industry."
"In the Coming 10 to 15 years, basins with 3,000 to 4,000 m [9,840 to 13,120 feet deep] of water will become the most active area for exploration and exploitation (personal communications with many oil company staff at the AAPG European conference, November 2007)."
Clearly, this is breaking new ground and has caught the attention of the oil industry.
There is but one reasonable conclusion to make in determining the origin of any oil found in these geologic formations: Abiotic Oil.
"CORRELATION OF ORIGIN" PRINCIPLE: THE UNDENIABLE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TECTONIC FAULTS AND THE WORLD'S LARGE OIL DEPOSITS
ReplyDeleteReference,
Tectonic Setting of the World's Giant Oil and Gas Fields
(Available by direct link at left-hand column under Continental Rifts)
Reviewing the referenced article and accompaning articles, should demonstrate to the reader the conclusive association between large oil fields and tectonic faults.
This direct correlation between the world's largest deposits of oil and tectonic faults constitutes the "Correlation of Origin Principle."
This principle is another in a long list of observable phenomenon that supports Abiotic Oil.
One must ask how "fossil" theory would credibly explain the direct association between tectonic faults all over the world and large oil deposits.
Do algae seek out tectonic faults to congregate and die? This is ludicrous on its face. But "fossil" theory is stuck with this fanciful notion.
And, further, it seems, in many cases, the larger and active the tectonic fault, and pronounced its history of seismic activity, the larger the oil deposits are in that region.
Clearly, "fossil" theory advocates have some explaining to do.