It all started in Houston on March 11, 1930. According to an article in The Leading Edge published during the Society of Exploration Geophysicists’ (SEG’s) 75th anniversary 10 years ago, events in the 1920s that proved up seismological and gravitational exploration methods seem to have spurred the desire to form a society that specialized in exploration geophysics.

“During that decade, exploration methods based on seismology and gravitation were confi rmed in the field, the first well logs were recorded, the fi rst contracting company was started (and several others were about to be created) and, most importantly, the practitioners of these then-arcane techniques were fi nding lots of oil,” wrote then-editor Dean Clark. “Thus, by early 1930 all of the elements were in place to support a professional society dedicated to the
new discipline.”

Since that time SEG has gone on to be a highly respected global society dedicated to the study of geophysics, not just for exploration purposes but also to solve worldwide issues such as tsunami preparedness, earthquake preparedness, habitat management, landslide preparedness, volcano preparedness, pollution mitigation and water management. In addition, the society has previewed some of the exciting developments taking place in exploration geophysics, most recently including full waveform inversion, wide-azimuth seismic, broadband seismic and more.

This year’s program includes a week of short courses, events and technical presentations as well as the exhibit, which will showcase almost 400 companies and their wares. Despite the downturn, the event, which takes place in New Orleans and comes a little more than 10 years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, is expected to be quite successful. “Wisdom dictates that in trying times lie the best opportunities,” wrote Julius Doruelo, SEG annual meeting steering committee general chair, in his opening letter to attendees. “There is no better example of that than New Orleans—it is ironic that the 2015 event will be held in the very city whose recent history serves to remind everyone not to lose sight of brighter days in the future.”

Read each story:

A Big Job In Tough Times

Louisiana Subsurface, Mississippi Delta Are Centers Of Attention

SEG Technology Showcase:

From Concept To Commercialization: Towed-streamer EM

Revealing Exploration Opportunities In The GoM

Advances In Seismic Technology Offshore Mexico

Integrated Subsurface Modeling Can Help Lower Cost Per Boe In Unconventionals

Ambient Seismic Provides New Understanding Of Unconventionals Production Potential

Vibratory Downhole And Marine Sources Can Be Monitored Remotely

Seeing Geology Before Interpreting It

The Seismic Wow Factor—A Precursor To Unlocking Offshore Mexico

New Microseismic Technique Predicts Propped Volumes, Reservoir Performance

The Growing Influence Of Reservoir Modeling

From Cuttings To Completions: Automated Wellsite Mineralogy Comes Of Age

Controlled Sound-field Sampling

Platform Can Improve Seismic Intepretation

Shot-point Data Management Tool Collects, Organizes Field Data

Latest Advance In Microseismic Technology: Auto Moment Tensor Inversion

A 20-year History Of Vibrator Technology Innovation

Bringing Geophysics Closer To The Reservoir

Enabling Geoscientists To Do More While Spending Less

Data Center Provides Remote 3-D Visualization For Upstream Oil And Gas

Seamless Data Integration From Land To Transition Zone And Beyond

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