A conference discussing the global challenge of maximising oil and gas recovery in ancient river sediments begins in Aberdeen today (Monday 12 January).
Hosted by the University of Aberdeen the From River to Rock Record conference will bring together high profile international experts from industry and academia.
The aim of the event is to contribute to improving the understanding of how industry can determine where oil and gas exploration efforts should be focused.
The difficulties in interpreting what lies beneath the sea floor will be discussed alongside the various methods being tested to improve our knowledge of river systems and subsurface sediments.
Over 120 delegates from 15 countries will attend the 3 day event which has been organised by experts from the University's College of Physical Sciences.
The first day of the conference will be hosted at the Iron Mountain storage facility in Dyce where cores from rocks which have been excavated by oil operators from the North Sea are kept in storage.
The remainder of the event will take place within the Department of Geology & Petroleum Geology on the University's King's College Campus.
It is hoped the conference will pave the way for new collaborative research opportunities which would benefit the industry in the future.
One of the conference organisers, Dr Stephanie Davidson from the University's Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology said: "Rivers are constantly eroding, transporting and depositing sediment. Over time these sediments form rocks which, when interpreted, can tell us valuable information about the nature of the river they come from. These rocks - and more specifically the sedimentation within - are of vital importance to the oil and gas industry.
"The industry has always faced a daunting challenge in how it goes about finding out where they should be exploring and drilling for oil reservoirs on a worldwide scale. This is because there are basic practical difficulties in interpreting what will be found inside rocks located at subsurface levels. There is no way this can be interpreted precisely as the sediments within have been forming over millions of years.
"For oil and gas operators gaining a clearer picture of what they are going to find before exploration or drilling begins would be massively beneficial. A better understanding would allow them to focus their energy and efforts on areas which would prove more fruitful in terms of oil and gas recovery."
"Experts from both academia and industry are working hard to resolve this issue and the conference will be a unique opportunity to bring these key professionals together, to discuss how the industry can gain a greater knowledge of our potentially untapped subsurface resources."
Nine keynote speakers will present over the course of the conference including Professor Frank Ethridge from Colorado State University; Professor Martin Gibling from Dalhousie University, Canada; Professor John Holbrook from the University of Texas and Penny Patterson from ExxonMobil based in Houston.
Dr Davidson continues: "It is hoped the conference will spark new opportunities for cross–discipline collaboration and advance understanding of how we can work together to tackle the issue of understanding modern and ancient river systems."
From River to Rock Record takes place from 12 – 14 January. For more information visit http://www.abdn.ac.uk/geology/deptinfo/events/river2rock/river2rock.php or email href="mailto:rivertorock@abdn.ac.uk">rivertorock@abdn.ac.uk</a>Â <strong>Â </strong></p>