Welcome to Meers Microseep Surveys

Benzene, C6H6 is a heavy aromatic hydrocarbon found only in crude oil. Its buoyancy carries it to the surface from oil reservoirs with other lighter hydrocarbons. High concentrations of Benzene are usually found over (apical) shallow reservoir, or around (Halo) deeper reservoirs.

The concentration of hydrocarbons in the near surface soils causes a chemically reducing environment. Magnetism is destroyed by oxidation of magnetic minerals to nonmagnetic minerals. This is similar to rusting iron losing its magnetism. The presents of hydrocarbons inhibit oxidation of the minerals since the hydrocarbon is more readily available to accept the oxygen atom changing it to an alcohol leaving the magnetic mineral in its original chemical state. This interaction of the hydrocarbon and oxygen causes the secondary effect of high magnetism in the area of the microseep. 

Hydrocarbons react with gypsum in the soils and ground waters to cause precipitation of caliche and other carbonate minerals. The formula shown below demonstrates this reaction.

CH4 + CaSO4 = CaCo3 + H2S + H2O

Methane + Gypsum = Caliche + Hydrogen Sulfide gas + water

Ca can be replaced by Sr and / or U that are found in crude oils

Radiometric analysis of Uranium, Potassium, Bismuth, and Thorium give indications of hydrocarbon microseepage. Concentrations and ratios give distinct anomalies associated with oil and gas reservoirs.

Blending the Benzene, Magnetic Susceptibility, Radiometric defined mineralization, and carbonates shows the absolute microseep geometry that defines subsurface oil reservoirs. Some of the indicators present in "Halo" geometry while others have an "Apical" presentation. The geometry gives a unique signature to the reservoir. 

We spend our careers building on our own internal database and honing our skills to find the most oil possible. Let’s face it, there is not a better feeling on the planet than a flowing drill stem test, or the smell of crude in the last bag of samples. That is what keeps us going. We have our head buried in maps and logs, looking for that one small detail that no one else has seen. That detail that makes you go to the next step. Oil and gas exploration is like building a sandwich. Layer by layer until you finish with the perfect combination or you spit it out because it is horribly dry. Let’s look at the choices. 

THE MEAT

Some like pastrami and some like corned beef. The high energy sand reservoirs are as good of a reservoir as you can get. No fracs, just perforate and smile all the way to the bank, but the butcher must go the extra step of smoking the meat. The carbonate reservoirs are responsible for more oil traps than any other conventional reservoir on the planet. They are also the easiest to find with seismic. The problem is the butcher has run out of corned beef. The mature basins have been shot and reshot so many times, the high school science teacher is prospecting using it. Few carbonate reservoirs are left to find so, we are going with pastrami hoping the smoke is exactly right.

THE KRAUT

The kraut can be a make or break a great sandwich. It can overwhelm the meat or be that perfect combination. Prospecting for high porosity, high energy reservoirs put the explorationist in the erosional regional setting of rivers and channels or strand lines. Many channel settings are not conducive to seismic imaging. The sand is awfully close to the same velocity as the encompassing shales. Seismic may not be a good resource for finding point bar reservoirs (bad Kraut). Good regional geology is like good kraut, it will put you in the channel fairway, and detailed log analysis may find a well that just nicked a sand that could set up a prospect. The secret to finding the sand reservoirs is the “secret sauce”.

THE SECRET SAUCE

Regional geology finds the fairway but finding a reservoir within the channel network is like dissecting a worm that is still buried in the soil with only the heart being productive. The sand reservoir is not always on top of a structure and sometimes may be in a low area. Most are flanking structures. How do we prospect for them? What is the Secret Sauce?

Hydrocarbon microseepage detection has been used as an exploration tool since the first publication of the phenomenon in 1929 by Laubmeyer in Germany and by Sokolov in the Soviet Union in 1932. Since this time, all the major oil companies and many independent oil & gas companies have used Hydrocarbon microseepage detection. As with seismic and other geophysical methods, technological advancements in the microseep industry have made it more of a reliable tool for the explorationist.

Publications such as “Hydrocarbon Migration And Its Near-surface Expression” published by the American Association of Petroleum Geologist, Memoir 66, detail hydrocarbon microseepage as a strong tool in finding hydrocarbon accumulations. Contributions by Conoco Inc., Pennzoil, Exxon, Phillips, and Shell show the attention the major oil companies give to hydrocarbon microseepage in their exploration programs.

The Secret Sauce is not the fact that reservoirs “Leak”, but it is the pattern and signature they leave on the surface. “Halo” versus “Apical” and other aspects of the microseep give the explorationist another tool to use in the program. 

Meers Microseep Surveys Inc. uses live soil gas, magnetic susceptibility, and XRF analysis of the soils looking for key metals and elements associated with hydrocarbon reservoirs. Some of these elements are found in “Halo” while others are found in the “Apical” chimney. The geometric microseep signature is the key to unlocking the area to drill. It is the “Secret Sauce”. 

In todays oil and gas environment, we need to maximize our exploration dollars with more science and less speculation. Meers Microseep Surveys would like to help you improve your exploration success and be a part of your program.