The Ten Habits of Highly Successful Oil Finders

SCA’s founder, Dan Tearpock, was fond of saying that it is highly trained geoscientists, not workstations, that find oil and gas. Towards that end, Dan championed a Philosophical Doctrine for exploration and exploitation of oil and gas resources comprised of 10 industry best practices. These practices are summarized below as the “Ten Habits of Highly Successful Oil Finders.”

 

SCA has been teaching the Ten Habits since 1988. We have seen that individuals, teams, or companies that adopt this doctrine and make the Ten Habits part of their geoscience workflow experience a reduction in the number of dry holes and non-commercial wells they drill as well as improved accuracy of their reserve and resource estimations. 

In other words, by adopting the Ten Habits, you will improve your bottom line.

  1. Ensure that their interpretations are geologically and geometrically valid in three dimensions. Learn more.
  2. Have a strong background in geology, and a thorough knowledge of the tectonic setting and depositional environments for the area in which they are working. Learn more.
  3. Plan their time and work in order to ensure accurate interpretations and maps. Learn more.
  4. Use all of the data to ensure that they have a reasonable and accurate subsurface interpretation. Learn more.
  5. Ensure that their seismic and well correlations are accurate and loop-tied. Learn more.
  6. Know which methods, tools, and techniques are needed to define and understand the subsurface.

    Successful oil finders ensure that their cross sections are balanced in order to confirm that their interpretations are reasonably correct. Learn more.

  7. Map all relevant geological surfaces. Learn more.
  8. Map multiple horizons to develop reasonably correct three-dimensional interpretations. Learn more.
  9. Document their work. Learn more.
  10. Seek out mentors and experienced individuals with knowledge and expertise and serve as mentors to those seeking experience. Learn more.
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