The U.S. Geological Survey first surveyed Alaska’s Arctic in the 1920s to identify petroleum reserves for the U.S. Navy. While promising structures were found, the harsh, isolated northern frontier was deemed too costly to explore, especially compared to more accessible areas in the Lower 48. It was the early 1960s before private companies ventured north […]
In the petroleum industry, there is an orderly progression of events from leasing to exploration to development. Oil field activities fall into three phases: exploration, development, and production. In the petroleum industry, there is an orderly progression of events from leasing to exploration to development; in ANWR the progression is expected to take about 15 […]
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High potential. The high potential for significant discoveries of oil and gas in ANWR has long been recognized. Early explorers of the region at the turn of the century, found oil seeps and oil-stained sands. However, since ANWR was established in 1960, exploration in the region has been restricted to surface geological investigations, aeromagnetic surveys, and […]