Surveying/Exploratory Drilling (more...)
| The first step in offshore oil and gas exploration involves geophysical surveying. Although many methods are available, the most commonly used is 3D seismic. Seismic surveys generate a picture of the rock layers beneath the ocean floor, which allows scientists to look for structures that may hold deposits of oil or gas. Once probable targets are chosen, exploratory wells are drilled to determine specific characteristics of the various rock layers and to confirm the presence of petroleum. |   |
| Seismic Surveying | - a ship tows an array of compressed-gas airguns that create the sound while a string of hydrophones also deployed behind the ship receive the sound |
- sound from the airguns travels through the water and into the rock layers, reflecting back of of the various surfaces below |
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- the hydrophones record the returning sound and create an image of the structures and layers below the sea floor |
- by putting many of these images together, geophysicists can determine which structures are likely to contain oil and gas
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| Surveying the QCB | - the last structural imaging of the Queen Charlotte Basin was done in 1988 |
- it would be extremely beneficial to image the region again, both to fill in the current gaps in knowledge and to take advantage of new technology that has been developed since the 1980's |
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| References | Offshore Oil & Gas Moratorium | Links | About EnergyBC | © MJ Whiticar, Biogeochemistry |  |