contact us

World-leading support for hydrocarbons exploration.

The need to move quickly to develop prospects and assess investment opportunities has never been greater.

At the same time, progressing towards drilling a new target requires expertise and resources, which you may well not have available.

That’s where GNS Science comes in. We offer you the full range of exploration support – including seismic processing and interpretation, basin modelling, reservoir studies and biostratigraphy.

The specialist GNS Science team has an international reputation for innovative, robust solutions and services. The continually challenging geology of New Zealand has enabled us to prove our teams in some of the world’s toughest terrain, and across an unequalled variety of basin settings.

So if you’re looking to explore and develop opportunities, don’t delay or compromise. Talk to GNS Science and you’ll tap into world-leading hydrocarbons expertise.

To know more about benefiting from the expertise of GNS Science, visit:

www.gns.cri.nz/hydrocarbonsor call us on

+64 4 570 4894 or email us at

hydrocarbons@gns.cri.nz

contact us

Principal Location Other Locations

GNS Science 1 Fairway Drive, AvalonLower Hutt 5010PO Box 30 368Lower Hutt 5040New ZealandT +64-4-570 1444F +64-4-570 4600

Wairakei Research Centre114 Karetoto RoadWairakei 3377Private Bag 2000Taupo 3352New ZealandT +64-7-374 8211F +64-7-374 8199

National Isotope Centre30 Gracefield RoadLower Hutt 5010PO Box 31312Lower Hutt 5040New Zealand T +64-4-570 1444F +64-4-570 4657

Dunedin Research Centre764 Cumberland StreetDunedin 9016Private Bag 1930Dunedin 9054New ZealandT +64-3-477 4050F +64-3-477 5232

powering the potential

hydrocarbon science

tapping the energy

The great southern oil hunt

case study

The Great South Basin spans 360,000 square kilometres of ocean, south of New Zealand. This remote and often wild area is New Zealand’s biggest, most prospective sedimentary basin. The area has been seismically quiet for 50 million years and there is a high chance petroleum has remained within trap structures: there is huge oil and gas potential.

GNS Science has played a key role in attracting major exploration players, including ExxonMobil, the world’s largest privately owned oil company. In 2007, three exploration licence-holders committed over NZ$1 billion to explore for oil and gas, doubling New Zealand’s previous total exploration investment. Licence-holders will spend 2-3 years collecting new seismic data and another 2-3 years test drilling.

Our expertise in the basin goes back over 50 years.

In the 1950s and 1960s, geological mapping identified •prospective structures. The 1970s – early 1990s saw more specific prospectivity studies.

In 1999, we published a definitive basin study, GNS •Science Monograph 20. This synthesised three decades of government and industry research.

In 2002, our Great South Basin Regional Review •delivered workstation-ready data and analysis needed by exploration players to evaluate prospectivity in the basin. The review spanned all exploration to date, petroleum geology, geochemistry, analysis of past well failures, estimated oil and gas volumes, and discussion of exploration risk factors. Several international exploration companies described it as the most useful prospectivity product they had seen.

In 2006, we processed and interpreted 3100km of •seismic data acquired by the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development. This showed sediments up to 8km thick and a number of geological structures capable of holding giant oil and gas fields.

(Our partnership continues with the licence holders – we’re the first point of contact for knowledge. As well as providing data and interpretation, we have led workshops and field trips to support exploration.)

“GNS Science has comprehensively re-examined geological and geophysical data ... together with more recent data [they have] been successful in demonstrating the prospectivity of this frontier area to the international exploration sector…. [They have] done an excellent job of conveying their sophisticated knowledge of the area’s prospectivity to potential investors … through conventional channels and through targeted commercial arrangements. Throughout, GNS Science has had an effective relationship with the regulatory agency, Crown Minerals of the Ministry of Economic Development. These contributions raise the probability that commercially significant, and potentially transforming results for New Zealand will emerge from the rejuvenated exploration campaign.”

- JM Beggs, Managing Director of GeoSphere Ltd and Deputy Chair of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand.

Kawau-1a to Pukaki-1 tie: Panel from DUN06-02

Continually evolving technologiesOur technologies and solutions are constantly evolving, driven by multi-million dollar research and development programmes, and proven New Zealand ingenuity.

Naturally, all our work is supported by industry-standard software. When we think we can improve on an existing solution, we develop new software and technologies.

State-of-the-art basin modellingCompromise nothing. GNS Science basin modelling is state-of-the-art – enabling you to go from an un-risked concept towards a new petroleum discovery in a frontier area.

We use our own in-house technology, linked to 2D and 3D industry-standard models, for a fast, robust result. Thermal models accurately predict volumes and phase of generated hydrocarbons. Modelling is highly flexible, with local rock, fault and source properties to drive greater control and precision.

GNS Science has a reputation for delivering innovative solutions to diverse exploration challenges.

Our services range from specialised advice for in-house exploration teams, to entirely outsourced exploration support for entrepreneurs. Our exploration consulting is underpinned by major investment in applied research and development. All this is backed by the assurance that comes from GNS Science being owned by the New Zealand Government.

So it’s no surprise that our clients range from independents to the super-majors.

Understanding at every scaleYou can be sure of scientific excellence with GNS Science, whatever the field of exploration.

Our project teams are headed up by senior geoscientists, typically with 20+ years of experience; while team-members are applied scientists with successful industry backgrounds.

We work at all scales, from global plate tectonics to sub-microscopic organic geochemistry . Our teams are experienced at putting data sets together, to give you an integrated picture.

We can accelerate your exploration with additional expert resources, or widen your spread of opportunities with a rapid, robust look at new licence areas. We also offer expert assessment of prospect volumes and chance-of-success, to guide your exploration decisions.

Seismic interpreters can generate leads and prospects •across your area

Petroleum system experts can quantify risk factors for •charge, trap and seal

Reservoir specialists to help you get the most from your •reservoir

Reviews of your farm-in opportunities •

Expertise to help you attract farm-in investment. •

New prospects invariably present challenges. That makes creative thinking and problem-solving essential for maximising potential.

Reservoir scienceGNS Science can help you ground-truth your reservoir models in the real world. We invite you to Taranaki, New Zealand, to visit the world-renowned exposures of the Miocene Mount Messenger/Urenui deep-water clastic depositional system.

For years, we’ve led field trips for petroleum companies to study this spectacular succession of basin floor to slope strata.

Field trips can be customised for multi-disciplinary exploration and production teams. Areas of focus can include:

Deep-water facies at scales ranging from microscopic •to seismic

Detailed outcrop analogue studies for reservoir •modelling

Stratigraphic models for sandstone prediction in slope •and basin floor settings.

Fast, flexible seismic processing

Claritas is a unique sophisticated software package for 2D and 3D land and marine seismic data processing. It was developed by our geophysicists over a 20 year span, and has been licenced to over 50 organisations world-wide.

Claritas enables us to offer fast, cost-effective seismic processing services at an industrial scale. It provides an intuitive and flexible enabling layer for seismic processing:

Claritas is continually being updated, often in response to client requests. We embrace user-driven development, with fast release cycles and pro-active support. You’ll be provided with source code so your enterprise has the option of developing modules to build on Claritas, creating an even more powerful suite.

Pricing is highly competitive and flexible to commercial/academic use. You can choose site licensing, lease or fully hosted options.

More: www.globeclaritas.com

case studychallenges and solutions

“Claritas gives us excellent cost-effectiveness and support, and fast execution and interaction of programs. It’s also easy to incorporate our own custom code”

Ray Earley – Senior Geophysicist, Flamingo Seismic Solutions, Tulsa, Oklahoma

An integrated approach to understanding: towards Tui-1Developing a new exploration fairway requires in-depth understanding of the petroleum system. That’s especially the case if you’re stepping into a new aspect of understanding, such as looking for oil in a gas basin.

In 2003, a partnership led by AWE (Australian Worldwide Exploration) was exploring an area west of the Maui gas field, in the Taranaki Basin of New Zealand. They approached GNS Science for an integrated study to better understand where oil might be found. Working together, our teams delivered powerful insights into the petroleum system, such as:

Quantifying source rock generative potential and gas to •oil ratios in potential kitchen areas

Delivering understanding of uplift and thermal history •

Extending existing seismic interpretations, to develop •a structural interpretation that included magnitude and timing of faulting, and effects of regional tilting

Using basin modelling to predict migration pathways •and volumes of petroleum likely to charge potential prospects - this understanding led to ranked prospects in the Tui area

Analysing diagenetic control on the development of •sandstone porosity and permeability, and defining environments for best reservoir quality - this understanding guided exploration in the fairway.

AWE made a wildcat oil discovery in Tui-1 in March 2003. Two further oil pools were discovered the following year. Rapid field development allowed the Tui Area Oil Project to start production in mid-2007 - flowing at 50,000 barrels a day.

Exploration in the offshore Taranaki Basin is ongoing: AWE hold a dominant interest in prospective licenses for the area west of Tui. The company periodically turns to GNS Science to support exploration activities with geochemical typing of samples from oil shows in well.

“Characterising the oil tells a great deal about the nature of the source rock or rocks, such as whether they are marine or terrestrial (coally). It can identify the kind of plants contributing to the organic material, and hence the age of the source rock; as well as the level of maturity, which can indicate how deep the rock was when the oil was expelled,” explains Eric Matthews of AWE.

“The analysis allows the oil to be matched to the source rocks from which it was generated. This is useful knowledge and can help us assess the chance of success for other prospects in the area,” he says.

In 2007, AWE completed a five-well exploration campaign. GNS Science undertook geochemical typing on oil samples from three of those wells.

Why GNS Science? “They have the database - they have done the work,” says Mr Matthews. “They provide knowledge of the Basin. We could get the analysis done else-where but interpreting the data is the tricky bit. We need people who understand the area. GNS Science give us that local expertise.”

“This field trip was excellent, the best I have been on in terms of demos and discussions of immediate use”

- Brenton Oke, BHP Billiton

Thin-bedded deposits of the Mount Messenger Formation, Taranaki coast, provide insights into global deep-water reservoirs.

Top Eocene200 300 400

30km

500 600

contact us

World-leading support for hydrocarbons exploration.

The need to move quickly to develop prospects and assess investment opportunities has never been greater.

At the same time, progressing towards drilling a new target requires expertise and resources, which you may well not have available.

That’s where GNS Science comes in. We offer you the full range of exploration support – including seismic processing and interpretation, basin modelling, reservoir studies and biostratigraphy.

The specialist GNS Science team has an international reputation for innovative, robust solutions and services. The continually challenging geology of New Zealand has enabled us to prove our teams in some of the world’s toughest terrain, and across an unequalled variety of basin settings.

So if you’re looking to explore and develop opportunities, don’t delay or compromise. Talk to GNS Science and you’ll tap into world-leading hydrocarbons expertise.

To know more about benefiting from the expertise of GNS Science, visit:

www.gns.cri.nz/hydrocarbonsor call us on

+64 4 570 4894 or email us at

hydrocarbons@gns.cri.nz

contact us

Principal Location Other Locations

GNS Science 1 Fairway Drive, AvalonLower Hutt 5010PO Box 30 368Lower Hutt 5040New ZealandT +64-4-570 1444F +64-4-570 4600

Wairakei Research Centre114 Karetoto RoadWairakei 3377Private Bag 2000Taupo 3352New ZealandT +64-7-374 8211F +64-7-374 8199

National Isotope Centre30 Gracefield RoadLower Hutt 5010PO Box 31312Lower Hutt 5040New Zealand T +64-4-570 1444F +64-4-570 4657

Dunedin Research Centre764 Cumberland StreetDunedin 9016Private Bag 1930Dunedin 9054New ZealandT +64-3-477 4050F +64-3-477 5232

powering the potential

hydrocarbon science

tapping the energy

The great southern oil hunt

case study

The Great South Basin spans 360,000 square kilometres of ocean, south of New Zealand. This remote and often wild area is New Zealand’s biggest, most prospective sedimentary basin. The area has been seismically quiet for 50 million years and there is a high chance petroleum has remained within trap structures: there is huge oil and gas potential.

GNS Science has played a key role in attracting major exploration players, including ExxonMobil, the world’s largest privately owned oil company. In 2007, three exploration licence-holders committed over NZ$1 billion to explore for oil and gas, doubling New Zealand’s previous total exploration investment. Licence-holders will spend 2-3 years collecting new seismic data and another 2-3 years test drilling.

Our expertise in the basin goes back over 50 years.

In the 1950s and 1960s, geological mapping identified •prospective structures. The 1970s – early 1990s saw more specific prospectivity studies.

In 1999, we published a definitive basin study, GNS •Science Monograph 20. This synthesised three decades of government and industry research.

In 2002, our Great South Basin Regional Review •delivered workstation-ready data and analysis needed by exploration players to evaluate prospectivity in the basin. The review spanned all exploration to date, petroleum geology, geochemistry, analysis of past well failures, estimated oil and gas volumes, and discussion of exploration risk factors. Several international exploration companies described it as the most useful prospectivity product they had seen.

In 2006, we processed and interpreted 3100km of •seismic data acquired by the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development. This showed sediments up to 8km thick and a number of geological structures capable of holding giant oil and gas fields.

(Our partnership continues with the licence holders – we’re the first point of contact for knowledge. As well as providing data and interpretation, we have led workshops and field trips to support exploration.)

“GNS Science has comprehensively re-examined geological and geophysical data ... together with more recent data [they have] been successful in demonstrating the prospectivity of this frontier area to the international exploration sector…. [They have] done an excellent job of conveying their sophisticated knowledge of the area’s prospectivity to potential investors … through conventional channels and through targeted commercial arrangements. Throughout, GNS Science has had an effective relationship with the regulatory agency, Crown Minerals of the Ministry of Economic Development. These contributions raise the probability that commercially significant, and potentially transforming results for New Zealand will emerge from the rejuvenated exploration campaign.”

- JM Beggs, Managing Director of GeoSphere Ltd and Deputy Chair of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand.

Kawau-1a to Pukaki-1 tie: Panel from DUN06-02

Continually evolving technologiesOur technologies and solutions are constantly evolving, driven by multi-million dollar research and development programmes, and proven New Zealand ingenuity.

Naturally, all our work is supported by industry-standard software. When we think we can improve on an existing solution, we develop new software and technologies.

State-of-the-art basin modellingCompromise nothing. GNS Science basin modelling is state-of-the-art – enabling you to go from an un-risked concept towards a new petroleum discovery in a frontier area.

We use our own in-house technology, linked to 2D and 3D industry-standard models, for a fast, robust result. Thermal models accurately predict volumes and phase of generated hydrocarbons. Modelling is highly flexible, with local rock, fault and source properties to drive greater control and precision.

GNS Science has a reputation for delivering innovative solutions to diverse exploration challenges.

Our services range from specialised advice for in-house exploration teams, to entirely outsourced exploration support for entrepreneurs. Our exploration consulting is underpinned by major investment in applied research and development. All this is backed by the assurance that comes from GNS Science being owned by the New Zealand Government.

So it’s no surprise that our clients range from independents to the super-majors.

Understanding at every scaleYou can be sure of scientific excellence with GNS Science, whatever the field of exploration.

Our project teams are headed up by senior geoscientists, typically with 20+ years of experience; while team-members are applied scientists with successful industry backgrounds.

We work at all scales, from global plate tectonics to sub-microscopic organic geochemistry . Our teams are experienced at putting data sets together, to give you an integrated picture.

We can accelerate your exploration with additional expert resources, or widen your spread of opportunities with a rapid, robust look at new licence areas. We also offer expert assessment of prospect volumes and chance-of-success, to guide your exploration decisions.

Seismic interpreters can generate leads and prospects •across your area

Petroleum system experts can quantify risk factors for •charge, trap and seal

Reservoir specialists to help you get the most from your •reservoir

Reviews of your farm-in opportunities •

Expertise to help you attract farm-in investment. •

New prospects invariably present challenges. That makes creative thinking and problem-solving essential for maximising potential.

Reservoir scienceGNS Science can help you ground-truth your reservoir models in the real world. We invite you to Taranaki, New Zealand, to visit the world-renowned exposures of the Miocene Mount Messenger/Urenui deep-water clastic depositional system.

For years, we’ve led field trips for petroleum companies to study this spectacular succession of basin floor to slope strata.

Field trips can be customised for multi-disciplinary exploration and production teams. Areas of focus can include:

Deep-water facies at scales ranging from microscopic •to seismic

Detailed outcrop analogue studies for reservoir •modelling

Stratigraphic models for sandstone prediction in slope •and basin floor settings.

Fast, flexible seismic processing

Claritas is a unique sophisticated software package for 2D and 3D land and marine seismic data processing. It was developed by our geophysicists over a 20 year span, and has been licenced to over 50 organisations world-wide.

Claritas enables us to offer fast, cost-effective seismic processing services at an industrial scale. It provides an intuitive and flexible enabling layer for seismic processing:

Claritas is continually being updated, often in response to client requests. We embrace user-driven development, with fast release cycles and pro-active support. You’ll be provided with source code so your enterprise has the option of developing modules to build on Claritas, creating an even more powerful suite.

Pricing is highly competitive and flexible to commercial/academic use. You can choose site licensing, lease or fully hosted options.

More: www.globeclaritas.com

case studychallenges and solutions

“Claritas gives us excellent cost-effectiveness and support, and fast execution and interaction of programs. It’s also easy to incorporate our own custom code”

Ray Earley – Senior Geophysicist, Flamingo Seismic Solutions, Tulsa, Oklahoma

An integrated approach to understanding: towards Tui-1Developing a new exploration fairway requires in-depth understanding of the petroleum system. That’s especially the case if you’re stepping into a new aspect of understanding, such as looking for oil in a gas basin.

In 2003, a partnership led by AWE (Australian Worldwide Exploration) was exploring an area west of the Maui gas field, in the Taranaki Basin of New Zealand. They approached GNS Science for an integrated study to better understand where oil might be found. Working together, our teams delivered powerful insights into the petroleum system, such as:

Quantifying source rock generative potential and gas to •oil ratios in potential kitchen areas

Delivering understanding of uplift and thermal history •

Extending existing seismic interpretations, to develop •a structural interpretation that included magnitude and timing of faulting, and effects of regional tilting

Using basin modelling to predict migration pathways •and volumes of petroleum likely to charge potential prospects - this understanding led to ranked prospects in the Tui area

Analysing diagenetic control on the development of •sandstone porosity and permeability, and defining environments for best reservoir quality - this understanding guided exploration in the fairway.

AWE made a wildcat oil discovery in Tui-1 in March 2003. Two further oil pools were discovered the following year. Rapid field development allowed the Tui Area Oil Project to start production in mid-2007 - flowing at 50,000 barrels a day.

Exploration in the offshore Taranaki Basin is ongoing: AWE hold a dominant interest in prospective licenses for the area west of Tui. The company periodically turns to GNS Science to support exploration activities with geochemical typing of samples from oil shows in well.

“Characterising the oil tells a great deal about the nature of the source rock or rocks, such as whether they are marine or terrestrial (coally). It can identify the kind of plants contributing to the organic material, and hence the age of the source rock; as well as the level of maturity, which can indicate how deep the rock was when the oil was expelled,” explains Eric Matthews of AWE.

“The analysis allows the oil to be matched to the source rocks from which it was generated. This is useful knowledge and can help us assess the chance of success for other prospects in the area,” he says.

In 2007, AWE completed a five-well exploration campaign. GNS Science undertook geochemical typing on oil samples from three of those wells.

Why GNS Science? “They have the database - they have done the work,” says Mr Matthews. “They provide knowledge of the Basin. We could get the analysis done else-where but interpreting the data is the tricky bit. We need people who understand the area. GNS Science give us that local expertise.”

“This field trip was excellent, the best I have been on in terms of demos and discussions of immediate use”

- Brenton Oke, BHP Billiton

Thin-bedded deposits of the Mount Messenger Formation, Taranaki coast, provide insights into global deep-water reservoirs.

Top Eocene200 300 400

30km

500 600

Continually evolving technologiesOur technologies and solutions are constantly evolving, driven by multi-million dollar research and development programmes, and proven New Zealand ingenuity.

Naturally, all our work is supported by industry-standard software. When we think we can improve on an existing solution, we develop new software and technologies.

State-of-the-art basin modellingCompromise nothing. GNS Science basin modelling is state-of-the-art – enabling you to go from an un-risked concept towards a new petroleum discovery in a frontier area.

We use our own in-house technology, linked to 2D and 3D industry-standard models, for a fast, robust result. Thermal models accurately predict volumes and phase of generated hydrocarbons. Modelling is highly flexible, with local rock, fault and source properties to drive greater control and precision.

GNS Science has a reputation for delivering innovative solutions to diverse exploration challenges.

Our services range from specialised advice for in-house exploration teams, to entirely outsourced exploration support for entrepreneurs. Our exploration consulting is underpinned by major investment in applied research and development. All this is backed by the assurance that comes from GNS Science being owned by the New Zealand Government.

So it’s no surprise that our clients range from independents to the super-majors.

Understanding at every scaleYou can be sure of scientific excellence with GNS Science, whatever the field of exploration.

Our project teams are headed up by senior geoscientists, typically with 20+ years of experience; while team-members are applied scientists with successful industry backgrounds.

We work at all scales, from global plate tectonics to sub-microscopic organic geochemistry . Our teams are experienced at putting data sets together, to give you an integrated picture.

We can accelerate your exploration with additional expert resources, or widen your spread of opportunities with a rapid, robust look at new licence areas. We also offer expert assessment of prospect volumes and chance-of-success, to guide your exploration decisions.

Seismic interpreters can generate leads and prospects •across your area

Petroleum system experts can quantify risk factors for •charge, trap and seal

Reservoir specialists to help you get the most from your •reservoir

Reviews of your farm-in opportunities •

Expertise to help you attract farm-in investment. •

New prospects invariably present challenges. That makes creative thinking and problem-solving essential for maximising potential.

Reservoir scienceGNS Science can help you ground-truth your reservoir models in the real world. We invite you to Taranaki, New Zealand, to visit the world-renowned exposures of the Miocene Mount Messenger/Urenui deep-water clastic depositional system.

For years, we’ve led field trips for petroleum companies to study this spectacular succession of basin floor to slope strata.

Field trips can be customised for multi-disciplinary exploration and production teams. Areas of focus can include:

Deep-water facies at scales ranging from microscopic •to seismic

Detailed outcrop analogue studies for reservoir •modelling

Stratigraphic models for sandstone prediction in slope •and basin floor settings.

Fast, flexible seismic processing

Claritas is a unique sophisticated software package for 2D and 3D land and marine seismic data processing. It was developed by our geophysicists over a 20 year span, and has been licenced to over 50 organisations world-wide.

Claritas enables us to offer fast, cost-effective seismic processing services at an industrial scale. It provides an intuitive and flexible enabling layer for seismic processing:

Claritas is continually being updated, often in response to client requests. We embrace user-driven development, with fast release cycles and pro-active support. You’ll be provided with source code so your enterprise has the option of developing modules to build on Claritas, creating an even more powerful suite.

Pricing is highly competitive and flexible to commercial/academic use. You can choose site licensing, lease or fully hosted options.

More: www.globeclaritas.com

case studychallenges and solutions

“Claritas gives us excellent cost-effectiveness and support, and fast execution and interaction of programs. It’s also easy to incorporate our own custom code”

Ray Earley – Senior Geophysicist, Flamingo Seismic Solutions, Tulsa, Oklahoma

An integrated approach to understanding: towards Tui-1Developing a new exploration fairway requires in-depth understanding of the petroleum system. That’s especially the case if you’re stepping into a new aspect of understanding, such as looking for oil in a gas basin.

In 2003, a partnership led by AWE (Australian Worldwide Exploration) was exploring an area west of the Maui gas field, in the Taranaki Basin of New Zealand. They approached GNS Science for an integrated study to better understand where oil might be found. Working together, our teams delivered powerful insights into the petroleum system, such as:

Quantifying source rock generative potential and gas to •oil ratios in potential kitchen areas

Delivering understanding of uplift and thermal history •

Extending existing seismic interpretations, to develop •a structural interpretation that included magnitude and timing of faulting, and effects of regional tilting

Using basin modelling to predict migration pathways •and volumes of petroleum likely to charge potential prospects - this understanding led to ranked prospects in the Tui area

Analysing diagenetic control on the development of •sandstone porosity and permeability, and defining environments for best reservoir quality - this understanding guided exploration in the fairway.

AWE made a wildcat oil discovery in Tui-1 in March 2003. Two further oil pools were discovered the following year. Rapid field development allowed the Tui Area Oil Project to start production in mid-2007 - flowing at 50,000 barrels a day.

Exploration in the offshore Taranaki Basin is ongoing: AWE hold a dominant interest in prospective licenses for the area west of Tui. The company periodically turns to GNS Science to support exploration activities with geochemical typing of samples from oil shows in well.

“Characterising the oil tells a great deal about the nature of the source rock or rocks, such as whether they are marine or terrestrial (coally). It can identify the kind of plants contributing to the organic material, and hence the age of the source rock; as well as the level of maturity, which can indicate how deep the rock was when the oil was expelled,” explains Eric Matthews of AWE.

“The analysis allows the oil to be matched to the source rocks from which it was generated. This is useful knowledge and can help us assess the chance of success for other prospects in the area,” he says.

In 2007, AWE completed a five-well exploration campaign. GNS Science undertook geochemical typing on oil samples from three of those wells.

Why GNS Science? “They have the database - they have done the work,” says Mr Matthews. “They provide knowledge of the Basin. We could get the analysis done else-where but interpreting the data is the tricky bit. We need people who understand the area. GNS Science give us that local expertise.”

“This field trip was excellent, the best I have been on in terms of demos and discussions of immediate use”

- Brenton Oke, BHP Billiton

Thin-bedded deposits of the Mount Messenger Formation, Taranaki coast, provide insights into global deep-water reservoirs.

Top Eocene200 300 400

30km

500 600

Continually evolving technologiesOur technologies and solutions are constantly evolving, driven by multi-million dollar research and development programmes, and proven New Zealand ingenuity.

Naturally, all our work is supported by industry-standard software. When we think we can improve on an existing solution, we develop new software and technologies.

State-of-the-art basin modellingCompromise nothing. GNS Science basin modelling is state-of-the-art – enabling you to go from an un-risked concept towards a new petroleum discovery in a frontier area.

We use our own in-house technology, linked to 2D and 3D industry-standard models, for a fast, robust result. Thermal models accurately predict volumes and phase of generated hydrocarbons. Modelling is highly flexible, with local rock, fault and source properties to drive greater control and precision.

GNS Science has a reputation for delivering innovative solutions to diverse exploration challenges.

Our services range from specialised advice for in-house exploration teams, to entirely outsourced exploration support for entrepreneurs. Our exploration consulting is underpinned by major investment in applied research and development. All this is backed by the assurance that comes from GNS Science being owned by the New Zealand Government.

So it’s no surprise that our clients range from independents to the super-majors.

Understanding at every scaleYou can be sure of scientific excellence with GNS Science, whatever the field of exploration.

Our project teams are headed up by senior geoscientists, typically with 20+ years of experience; while team-members are applied scientists with successful industry backgrounds.

We work at all scales, from global plate tectonics to sub-microscopic organic geochemistry . Our teams are experienced at putting data sets together, to give you an integrated picture.

We can accelerate your exploration with additional expert resources, or widen your spread of opportunities with a rapid, robust look at new licence areas. We also offer expert assessment of prospect volumes and chance-of-success, to guide your exploration decisions.

Seismic interpreters can generate leads and prospects •across your area

Petroleum system experts can quantify risk factors for •charge, trap and seal

Reservoir specialists to help you get the most from your •reservoir

Reviews of your farm-in opportunities •

Expertise to help you attract farm-in investment. •

New prospects invariably present challenges. That makes creative thinking and problem-solving essential for maximising potential.

Reservoir scienceGNS Science can help you ground-truth your reservoir models in the real world. We invite you to Taranaki, New Zealand, to visit the world-renowned exposures of the Miocene Mount Messenger/Urenui deep-water clastic depositional system.

For years, we’ve led field trips for petroleum companies to study this spectacular succession of basin floor to slope strata.

Field trips can be customised for multi-disciplinary exploration and production teams. Areas of focus can include:

Deep-water facies at scales ranging from microscopic •to seismic

Detailed outcrop analogue studies for reservoir •modelling

Stratigraphic models for sandstone prediction in slope •and basin floor settings.

Fast, flexible seismic processing

Claritas is a unique sophisticated software package for 2D and 3D land and marine seismic data processing. It was developed by our geophysicists over a 20 year span, and has been licenced to over 50 organisations world-wide.

Claritas enables us to offer fast, cost-effective seismic processing services at an industrial scale. It provides an intuitive and flexible enabling layer for seismic processing:

Claritas is continually being updated, often in response to client requests. We embrace user-driven development, with fast release cycles and pro-active support. You’ll be provided with source code so your enterprise has the option of developing modules to build on Claritas, creating an even more powerful suite.

Pricing is highly competitive and flexible to commercial/academic use. You can choose site licensing, lease or fully hosted options.

More: www.globeclaritas.com

case studychallenges and solutions

“Claritas gives us excellent cost-effectiveness and support, and fast execution and interaction of programs. It’s also easy to incorporate our own custom code”

Ray Earley – Senior Geophysicist, Flamingo Seismic Solutions, Tulsa, Oklahoma

An integrated approach to understanding: towards Tui-1Developing a new exploration fairway requires in-depth understanding of the petroleum system. That’s especially the case if you’re stepping into a new aspect of understanding, such as looking for oil in a gas basin.

In 2003, a partnership led by AWE (Australian Worldwide Exploration) was exploring an area west of the Maui gas field, in the Taranaki Basin of New Zealand. They approached GNS Science for an integrated study to better understand where oil might be found. Working together, our teams delivered powerful insights into the petroleum system, such as:

Quantifying source rock generative potential and gas to •oil ratios in potential kitchen areas

Delivering understanding of uplift and thermal history •

Extending existing seismic interpretations, to develop •a structural interpretation that included magnitude and timing of faulting, and effects of regional tilting

Using basin modelling to predict migration pathways •and volumes of petroleum likely to charge potential prospects - this understanding led to ranked prospects in the Tui area

Analysing diagenetic control on the development of •sandstone porosity and permeability, and defining environments for best reservoir quality - this understanding guided exploration in the fairway.

AWE made a wildcat oil discovery in Tui-1 in March 2003. Two further oil pools were discovered the following year. Rapid field development allowed the Tui Area Oil Project to start production in mid-2007 - flowing at 50,000 barrels a day.

Exploration in the offshore Taranaki Basin is ongoing: AWE hold a dominant interest in prospective licenses for the area west of Tui. The company periodically turns to GNS Science to support exploration activities with geochemical typing of samples from oil shows in well.

“Characterising the oil tells a great deal about the nature of the source rock or rocks, such as whether they are marine or terrestrial (coally). It can identify the kind of plants contributing to the organic material, and hence the age of the source rock; as well as the level of maturity, which can indicate how deep the rock was when the oil was expelled,” explains Eric Matthews of AWE.

“The analysis allows the oil to be matched to the source rocks from which it was generated. This is useful knowledge and can help us assess the chance of success for other prospects in the area,” he says.

In 2007, AWE completed a five-well exploration campaign. GNS Science undertook geochemical typing on oil samples from three of those wells.

Why GNS Science? “They have the database - they have done the work,” says Mr Matthews. “They provide knowledge of the Basin. We could get the analysis done else-where but interpreting the data is the tricky bit. We need people who understand the area. GNS Science give us that local expertise.”

“This field trip was excellent, the best I have been on in terms of demos and discussions of immediate use”

- Brenton Oke, BHP Billiton

Thin-bedded deposits of the Mount Messenger Formation, Taranaki coast, provide insights into global deep-water reservoirs.

Top Eocene200 300 400

30km

500 600

contact us

World-leading support for hydrocarbons exploration.

The need to move quickly to develop prospects and assess investment opportunities has never been greater.

At the same time, progressing towards drilling a new target requires expertise and resources, which you may well not have available.

That’s where GNS Science comes in. We offer you the full range of exploration support – including seismic processing and interpretation, basin modelling, reservoir studies and biostratigraphy.

The specialist GNS Science team has an international reputation for innovative, robust solutions and services. The continually challenging geology of New Zealand has enabled us to prove our teams in some of the world’s toughest terrain, and across an unequalled variety of basin settings.

So if you’re looking to explore and develop opportunities, don’t delay or compromise. Talk to GNS Science and you’ll tap into world-leading hydrocarbons expertise.

To know more about benefiting from the expertise of GNS Science, visit:

www.gns.cri.nz/hydrocarbonsor call us on

+64 4 570 4894 or email us at

hydrocarbons@gns.cri.nz

contact us

Principal Location Other Locations

GNS Science 1 Fairway Drive, AvalonLower Hutt 5010PO Box 30 368Lower Hutt 5040New ZealandT +64-4-570 1444F +64-4-570 4600

Wairakei Research Centre114 Karetoto RoadWairakei 3377Private Bag 2000Taupo 3352New ZealandT +64-7-374 8211F +64-7-374 8199

National Isotope Centre30 Gracefield RoadLower Hutt 5010PO Box 31312Lower Hutt 5040New Zealand T +64-4-570 1444F +64-4-570 4657

Dunedin Research Centre764 Cumberland StreetDunedin 9016Private Bag 1930Dunedin 9054New ZealandT +64-3-477 4050F +64-3-477 5232

powering the potential

hydrocarbon science

tapping the energy

The great southern oil hunt

case study

The Great South Basin spans 360,000 square kilometres of ocean, south of New Zealand. This remote and often wild area is New Zealand’s biggest, most prospective sedimentary basin. The area has been seismically quiet for 50 million years and there is a high chance petroleum has remained within trap structures: there is huge oil and gas potential.

GNS Science has played a key role in attracting major exploration players, including ExxonMobil, the world’s largest privately owned oil company. In 2007, three exploration licence-holders committed over NZ$1 billion to explore for oil and gas, doubling New Zealand’s previous total exploration investment. Licence-holders will spend 2-3 years collecting new seismic data and another 2-3 years test drilling.

Our expertise in the basin goes back over 50 years.

In the 1950s and 1960s, geological mapping identified •prospective structures. The 1970s – early 1990s saw more specific prospectivity studies.

In 1999, we published a definitive basin study, GNS •Science Monograph 20. This synthesised three decades of government and industry research.

In 2002, our Great South Basin Regional Review •delivered workstation-ready data and analysis needed by exploration players to evaluate prospectivity in the basin. The review spanned all exploration to date, petroleum geology, geochemistry, analysis of past well failures, estimated oil and gas volumes, and discussion of exploration risk factors. Several international exploration companies described it as the most useful prospectivity product they had seen.

In 2006, we processed and interpreted 3100km of •seismic data acquired by the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development. This showed sediments up to 8km thick and a number of geological structures capable of holding giant oil and gas fields.

(Our partnership continues with the licence holders – we’re the first point of contact for knowledge. As well as providing data and interpretation, we have led workshops and field trips to support exploration.)

“GNS Science has comprehensively re-examined geological and geophysical data ... together with more recent data [they have] been successful in demonstrating the prospectivity of this frontier area to the international exploration sector…. [They have] done an excellent job of conveying their sophisticated knowledge of the area’s prospectivity to potential investors … through conventional channels and through targeted commercial arrangements. Throughout, GNS Science has had an effective relationship with the regulatory agency, Crown Minerals of the Ministry of Economic Development. These contributions raise the probability that commercially significant, and potentially transforming results for New Zealand will emerge from the rejuvenated exploration campaign.”

- JM Beggs, Managing Director of GeoSphere Ltd and Deputy Chair of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand.

Kawau-1a to Pukaki-1 tie: Panel from DUN06-02

contact us

World-leading support for hydrocarbons exploration.

The need to move quickly to develop prospects and assess investment opportunities has never been greater.

At the same time, progressing towards drilling a new target requires expertise and resources, which you may well not have available.

That’s where GNS Science comes in. We offer you the full range of exploration support – including seismic processing and interpretation, basin modelling, reservoir studies and biostratigraphy.

The specialist GNS Science team has an international reputation for innovative, robust solutions and services. The continually challenging geology of New Zealand has enabled us to prove our teams in some of the world’s toughest terrain, and across an unequalled variety of basin settings.

So if you’re looking to explore and develop opportunities, don’t delay or compromise. Talk to GNS Science and you’ll tap into world-leading hydrocarbons expertise.

To know more about benefiting from the expertise of GNS Science, visit:

www.gns.cri.nz/hydrocarbonsor call us on

+64 4 570 4894 or email us at

hydrocarbons@gns.cri.nz

contact us

Principal Location Other Locations

GNS Science 1 Fairway Drive, AvalonLower Hutt 5010PO Box 30 368Lower Hutt 5040New ZealandT +64-4-570 1444F +64-4-570 4600

Wairakei Research Centre114 Karetoto RoadWairakei 3377Private Bag 2000Taupo 3352New ZealandT +64-7-374 8211F +64-7-374 8199

National Isotope Centre30 Gracefield RoadLower Hutt 5010PO Box 31312Lower Hutt 5040New Zealand T +64-4-570 1444F +64-4-570 4657

Dunedin Research Centre764 Cumberland StreetDunedin 9016Private Bag 1930Dunedin 9054New ZealandT +64-3-477 4050F +64-3-477 5232

powering the potential

hydrocarbon science

tapping the energy

The great southern oil hunt

case study

The Great South Basin spans 360,000 square kilometres of ocean, south of New Zealand. This remote and often wild area is New Zealand’s biggest, most prospective sedimentary basin. The area has been seismically quiet for 50 million years and there is a high chance petroleum has remained within trap structures: there is huge oil and gas potential.

GNS Science has played a key role in attracting major exploration players, including ExxonMobil, the world’s largest privately owned oil company. In 2007, three exploration licence-holders committed over NZ$1 billion to explore for oil and gas, doubling New Zealand’s previous total exploration investment. Licence-holders will spend 2-3 years collecting new seismic data and another 2-3 years test drilling.

Our expertise in the basin goes back over 50 years.

In the 1950s and 1960s, geological mapping identified •prospective structures. The 1970s – early 1990s saw more specific prospectivity studies.

In 1999, we published a definitive basin study, GNS •Science Monograph 20. This synthesised three decades of government and industry research.

In 2002, our Great South Basin Regional Review •delivered workstation-ready data and analysis needed by exploration players to evaluate prospectivity in the basin. The review spanned all exploration to date, petroleum geology, geochemistry, analysis of past well failures, estimated oil and gas volumes, and discussion of exploration risk factors. Several international exploration companies described it as the most useful prospectivity product they had seen.

In 2006, we processed and interpreted 3100km of •seismic data acquired by the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development. This showed sediments up to 8km thick and a number of geological structures capable of holding giant oil and gas fields.

(Our partnership continues with the licence holders – we’re the first point of contact for knowledge. As well as providing data and interpretation, we have led workshops and field trips to support exploration.)

“GNS Science has comprehensively re-examined geological and geophysical data ... together with more recent data [they have] been successful in demonstrating the prospectivity of this frontier area to the international exploration sector…. [They have] done an excellent job of conveying their sophisticated knowledge of the area’s prospectivity to potential investors … through conventional channels and through targeted commercial arrangements. Throughout, GNS Science has had an effective relationship with the regulatory agency, Crown Minerals of the Ministry of Economic Development. These contributions raise the probability that commercially significant, and potentially transforming results for New Zealand will emerge from the rejuvenated exploration campaign.”

- JM Beggs, Managing Director of GeoSphere Ltd and Deputy Chair of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand.

Kawau-1a to Pukaki-1 tie: Panel from DUN06-02