Abstract: Our Profession: Where it Has Been, Where it is Now, and Where it is Going

Michel T. Halbouty

We must continue to sustain and expand our profession, and, even in the face of adversities, we should strive to enhance its heritage for those who will follow in our path and, also, for the benefit of the world's people.

For more than 50 years following the fortuitous Drake Discovery in 1859, in Titusville, Pennsylvania, the search for oil had been a haphazard affair, at best, without much assistance from science.

In the decade following Spindletop (discovered January 10, 1901), our profession--petroleum geology--began to slowly grow, improve, and proclaim itself with outstanding achievements.

The expansion of our profession centered around the use of exploration concepts which were conceived as new discoveries were made--each discovery added to the knowledge of how to search for others. Initially, we interpreted the geomorphology of the land surface, followed by subsurface micropaleontology to identify specific geologic units and formations for correlation purposes, then the advent of geophysics, the electric log, remote sensing, the computers--all combining to provide data which created various concepts for more intelligent and effective exploration.

The future of our profession is indeed problematical. It could be considered to be at the crossroads of changing directions. The petroleum industry by which all petroleum professionals are joined has changed remarkably in the last decade which, in turn, has affected all associated with it, especially our profession. There are numerous challenges facing all of the geoscience professions, and the author discusses how these challenges can be met.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994