September 2012
Columns
What’s new in exploration
Frontier basins require broad-brush exploration tools: regional seismic, gravity and magnetic surveys. Gravity measurements provide a direct estimate of mass and can distinguish density anomalies in the subsurface. Gravity gradiometry is used to measure subsurface density by measuring variations in acceleration.
In 2009, researchers at Lockheed Martin and Intrepid Geophysics estimated that 2.5 million line-km of gravity surveys have been run worldwide for hydrocarbon and mineral exploration. Recent gravity (and seismic) programs in the Greenland Sea are in preparation for two upcoming licensing rounds.
