The Search for Natural Gas

We often take the comfort of a warm home in the winter for granted. With the use of natural gas we are able to cook, keep warm and heat water, just to name a few benefits. Natural gas also burns cleaner than any other fossil fuel and has fewer emissions of sulfur, carbon and nitrogen compared to coal as it has no ash particles left after burning.

So what exactly is natural gas and how is it found?

The creation of natural gas began millions of years ago. The remains of plants and animals, or organic materials, that over time became covered with rock, combined with pressure and heat, slowly changed into coal, oil or natural gas. The discovery of the gas came later when humans started to notice these vapors seeping from gaps in rocks and then being ignited by lightening. Watching how the fire burned stimulated interest in capturing such gases and turning them into heat and light.

Extracting natural gas from deep beneath the earth is a complex and often expensive process. Even with modern technology, seeking a natural gas deposit large enough to invest time into drilling and exporting can be quite daunting.

So how is natural gas found? It takes a combination of processes and events – they include:

1.Geological Surveys – Geologists examine the earths surface to determine areas where it is geologically likely that petroleum or gas deposits might exist.
2.Seismic Exploration – Seismic waves are used to examine the earths crust for various underground formations that display potential gas pockets.
3.Onshore Seismology – Seismic waves are picked up by geophones and geophysicists, geologists and petroleum engineers interpret the data.
4.Offshore Seismology – Instead of using trucks and geophones, a ship is used to pick up seismic waves underwater.
5.Magnetometers – Magnetic properties of underground formations are measured with magnetometers, which can detect small differences in the Earth’s magnetic field.
6.Gravimeters – Measuring the Earth’s gravitational field helps scientists gain a better understanding of what is underground. Formations and rock types have a different effect on the gravitational field that surrounds the Earth. This sensitive equipment helps geophysicists analyze formations that lie below the ground.
7.Exploratory Wells – After digging into the earth’s crust, wells are dropped in search of deposits. Because the process of drilling is expensive, exploratory wells are only drilled in areas where other data indicates high probability.
8.Logging- Standard and electric logging consists of measuring and recording physical aspects of a well.
9.Data Interpretation – Raw data alone would be useless without careful and methodical interpretation. Geophysicists use all of the sources possible to make their best guesses as to location of reservoirs.
10.2-D Seismic Interpretation – Two-dimensional seismic imaging uses data collected from seismic exploration to develop a cross-sectional picture of underground rock formations.
11.Computer Assisted Exploration – Computers are used to compile and assemble the geological data using a technology referred to as CAEX, which is short for ‘computer assisted exploration.’
12.3-D Seismic Imaging – Three-dimensional seismic imaging has been one of the biggest breakthroughs in computer-aided exploration. Although costly, $1 million per 50 square miles, it provides more accurate placement of wells to be drilled.
13.2-D Seismic Imaging – This includes generating an image of subsurface geology in the same manner as 2-D data interpretation with the addition of computer technology.
14.4-D Seismic Imaging – A new breakthrough modeling underground rock formation. This technique is an extension of 3-D seismic imaging.