Scientists Discover (Biggest Ever) Oil field off U.S. coast

[ECH1969]

Scientists from the University of Cornell have discovered a massive amount of Oil off the coast of Louisiana. The find is some 60 billion barrels or 3 Times more than current US recoverable Oil of 20 Billion barrels, and would bring US total reserves to 80 billion barrels which is on par with Venezuela. In comparison to other finds around the world, this is twice the size of all Oil ever found in the North Sea and 6 times larger than the estimates of the Alaskan ANWR oil deposits.

The area is about 10,000 sq. miles in size, and was found under layers of salt dooms by a new method of oil discovery known as “gas washing” . A process in which geologist are able to track the movement of oil deposits by the way they interact with the flow of natural gas. This method helps scientists to make extremely accurate 3D-seismic maps of deep underground oil deposits and mitigate the risk involved in drilling such deep under sea wells.

The information was gathered from source rocks deep below the sea and was discovered by a team lead by Larry Cathles, a chemical geologist from Cornell and funded by a grant from Chevron.

Efforts are now underway to rush more equipment into the area and conduct more tests, but because of the devastation left by the hurricanes Katrina and Rita there is a critical shortage of equipment and manpower to do the kind of recovery work needed to bring the oil to the surface. Estimates now range from 1 to 2 years before oil can be pumped from the find area.

http://www.newtechspy.com/articles06/oildiscovery.html

[TheDebbieDee]

1. Uh oh.........maybe we've got WMDs.........maybe we should

invade ourselves next!

[man4allcats]

8. I think maybe we should just nuke ourselves.

We already have our troops committed overseas. It would thus likely be more cost effective to simply nuke ourselves rather than go the invasion route. What do you think? ;)

[leftofthedial]

44. the only thing better than MIHOP and Shock and Awe

is to LIHOP a hurricane

[leftchick]

2. now can we pull out of Iraq and

not nuke Iran?

[slackmaster]

3. Hoo boy

Tagged for interest.

[Bryan]

4. Is this cited anywhere else?

The only cite I could find in a Google News search is the NewTechSpy one. Interesting news, if true.

[corporate_mike]

51. there is no mention on either Cornell's or Chevron's site

[rd_kent]

55. Mike, in your tag line

You have E85 there. Is that Enthanol? The kind from corn?

[corporate_mike]

58. Yes, 85% ethanol fuel

http://www.e85fuel.com/index.php

[ewoden]

5. It's those terrorist shrimp and sea turtles in the Gulf. . .

Scurrying around our ports and beaches. Hauling themselves up on the sacred US mainland in the dead of night to deposit terrorist operatives in secret "nests".

We've got to stop them, if we don't fight them here we'll, uh, have to fight them here. Uh, Uh, Dammit it's all Clinton's FAULT!!!!!

[Ganja Ninja]

6. Whoopee! We can keep blowing fumes until we choke!

I was never worried about oil running out but I'm damn sure worried about running out of air. We have got to stop the madness.

[bluerum]

7. Right in hurricane alley.

[Freddie Stubbs]

31. Last year's hurricanes cause no major oil spills

[Tempest]

35. They sure did knock oil production out of commission

And there's hundreds of billions worth of damage to the platforms and underwater pipelines.

[NickB79]

37. But it did close down production for quite some time

The Gulf is still trying to repair and replace lost drilling and extraction capacity.

Since we've already pumped so much CO2 into the atmosphere from burning oil, global warming is causing horrific hurricanes in the Gulf now. Ironically, those hurricanes may make it too expensive to extract this major oil deposit.

[stepnw1f]

9. Right in Time for US to Nationalize Oil

here.

[shain from kane]

10. Is this where China and Cuba were starting a joint drilling operation? nt

[RawMaterials]

13. No this is what we sell to china to pay off our debt n/m

[goforit]

11. Cerainly now the price per gallon will drop 2 bucks.

[MadHound]

12. Well, if this is true, all it does is postpone things for ten years

At a consumption rate of 20 million bbl/day, this deposit will only last for 3000 days.

Rather than trying to squeeze the last drop of oil from the earth, why don't we switch over to an off the shelf technology that we already have, one that can fulfill all of our needs, and since it is renewable, it will never run out. Biodiesel.

Then we wouldn't have to rip up the Gulf, which is already a dead zone much of the year, or ANWR, or any other natural enviroment.

But sadly, we'll probably drill the hell out of this, lay even further waste to the Gulf, pollute our air that much more, all for ten years worth of oil:eyes: God, addicts can be pathetic sometimes.

[Journeyman]

29. Sadder still, this find could slow development of alternate sources. . .

since the urgency of our present situation would be mitigated in the "addict's" flush of a new source.

[depakid]

14. Oh, that's a real credible site- LOL

Funny the "story" hasn't been mentioned anywhere else....

[Bacchus39]

18. well, its good news as far as I'm concerned

we should look to develop our own resources instead of gobbling up everyone elses. however, I would throw in a huge caveat that, if this is true, no way should we halt efforts on conservation and alternative energy sources.

[debbierlus]

54. If this was true, it would be all over the MSM

[Xipe Totec]

15. What the hell is a salt doom?

Can you trust a publication that can't even spell salt dome?

[TX-RAT]

17. right here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_dome

[Teaser]

39. no...that's a "Salt dome"

We still don't know what a "salt doom" is.

[TX-RAT]

43. Laughing at my self, didn't pick up on the spelling.

Heres my sign! LOL

[depakid]

21. The amount of sodium in a Swanson frozen dinner?

Check out the home "page."

It's all about selling gadgetry.

[Richard Steele]

26. Yup. It's not a news site, it's a billboard. I call "BS" on this. nm

[rkc3]

23. Yup - makes you wonder.

[DS1]

53. Lifetime supply of Burger King fries

[MaineDem]

16. University of Cornell???

How reputable is this source?

[Bryan]

24. The Larry Cathles named in the article seems to be legit

http://www.eas.cornell.edu/fbxk/fcbo.cfm?pid=35

http://www.geotimes.org/june03/NN_gulf.html

[NickB79]

Yeah, but he's a proponent of abiotic oil hypothesis

His science sure isn't legit, abiotic oil has been laughed at for years in the geological circle.

[understandinglife]

57. A related 2003 article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030331045435.htm


Peace.

[Ezlivin]

19. This news is 3 years old - why don't we see any action on this "oil" yet?

http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/june03/NN_gulf.html

Perhaps it's because the proponent of abiotic oil is behind the "discovery".

You gotta love the timing of this re-release of an old news story.

[almyers76]

20. Might be based on this three year old article

Article dated June 2003
http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/june03/NN_gulf.html

Raining hydrocarbons in the Gulf

Below the Gulf of Mexico, hydrocarbons flow upward through an intricate network of conduits and reservoirs. They start in thin layers of source rock and, from there, buoyantly rise to the surface. On their way up, the hydrocarbons collect in little rivulets, and create temporary pockets like rain filling a pond. Eventually most escape to the ocean. And, this is all happening now, not millions and millions of years ago, says Larry Cathles, a chemical geologist at Cornell University.
<snip>
Cathles and his team estimate that in a study area of about 9,600 square miles off the coast of Louisiana, source rocks a dozen kilometers down have generated as much as 184 billion tons of oil and gas — about 1,000 billion barrels of oil and gas equivalent. "That's 30 percent more than we humans have consumed over the entire petroleum era," Cathles says. "And that's just this one little postage stamp area; if this is going on worldwide, then there's a lot of hydrocarbons venting out."
<snip>
Of that huge resource of naturally generated hydrocarbons, Cathles says, more than 70 percent have made their way upward through the vast network of streams and ponds, venting into the ocean, at a rate of about 0.1 ton per year. The escaped hydrocarbons then become food for bacteria, helping to fuel the oceanic food web. Another 10 percent of the Gulf's total hydrocarbons are hidden in the subsurface, representing about 60 billion barrels of oil and 374 trillion cubic feet of gas that could be extracted. The remaining hydrocarbons, about 20 percent, stay trapped in the source strata.

[DrDebug]

30. Welcome to DU, almyers76

:toast:

[Vidar]

22. Funny how all oil finds are "Biggest Ever".

[sinkingfeeling]

25. We're saved! We're saved! Yes, we don't have to worry about

alternate energy sources anymore. More oil! More oil!

[henslee]

27. This story is 2 days old and is NEWTECHSPY really a legit news source????

[corporate_mike]

50. looks like a tabloid story

[goforit]

28. Is this a strategy to psyche Venezuela out?

[grottieyottie]

32. Other newtechspy.com headlines

US to test MOAB, *Massive Ordnance Air Blast* on Hurricanes

http://www.newtechspy.com/articles06/operationdarksky.html


Nasa’s new Antimatter Mars spaceship
Nasa has unveiled their Positron Reactor Mars space ship. The new
positron engine is 30 times more efficient at creating energy than a typical nuclear reactor.
The hope is to one day come up with a propulsion system that takes astronauts to Mars in just 45 days.

http://www.newtechspy.com/april06/april15c.html

Global warming caused by Tunguska Event?

http://www.newtechspy.com/march06/march15c.html

[karlrschneider]

33. "salt dooms" giggle

:D

[DavidDvorkin]

34. The quality of the English makes me skeptical

[Lochloosa]

36. And let's not forget the StarRotor Engine that triples MPG

Same website.....and same bullshit

http://www.newtechspy.com/april06/april28b.html

[karlrschneider]

38. This is bullshit. There are no 100 x 100 mile areas in the Gulf

that haven't been looked at -very- closely, plus Chevron doesn't hire outside "consultants" or universities to do its exploration.

[ChickMagic]

40. Ooooh!

Swindletop! :rofl: I made myself giggle.

[RedSpartan]

41. I wonder if Cornell gets a cut of the profits.

Damn liberal elites... :sarcasm:

[truthisfreedom]

42. Louisiana should immediately reclaim this as a "state asset."

all mineral/oil rights are off, considering.

[Warren DeMontague]

45. In other news, Crack addict discovers big, unsmoked rock between cushions

of his apartment couch!

Woo-hoo!
Crack problem solved!

[sendero]

49. ROTFLMAO :)

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[JVS]

56. More Crack!

[BrownOak]

78. Really, really, funny n/t

[Jane Austin]

46. Where's the University of Cornell?

Never heard of it.

[bluerum]

63. The article says Cornell University. It's in Ithica NY.

[Jane Austin]

64. The article says "The University of Cornell"

Right here:

Scientists from the University of Cornell have discovered a massive amount of Oil off the coast of Louisiana.

Everybody knows Cornell University is in Ithica, NY. I asked where the University of Cornell is, since that's what the article cites.





(Edited to improve subject line)

[bluerum]

65. The POST say's University of Cornell. If you take 30 seconds and

follow the link the FIRST line says

"Scientists from Cornell University have discovered a massive amount of Oil off the...."

[Jane Austin]

66. Sorry. Super slow dialup out here in the sticks.

I can't really click on the links very often.

Still can't imagine why they said "University of Cornell".

[Jane Austin]

67. I am glad, though, that it only takes 30 seconds where you live. :)

n/t

[bluerum]

69. Austin. I was just in Austin the first week in April.

[Jane Austin]

70. Unfortunately, our house in Austin burned down, so we live in the country

outside of Elgin now.

They keep promising us a radio tower for fast internet, but we've quit holding our breath.

We don't even have decent cell coverage out here.

Oh, well, the cows are pretty and the dogs have lots of room. :)

[bluerum]

71. There are trade off's to living in the "country". Personally - I never

thought of cows as pretty. But I do like hiking with the pooch!

[Jane Austin]

76. They're pretty across the fence in the neighbor's pasture.

In fact, they look like a painting - - especially when it's misty early in the morning.

Up close, not so much. :)

[bluerum]

77. Ooohh,, that does sound picturesque.

[Weembo]

47. Folks -- as someone who works in the industry

I'll believe this when I see it. Meanwhile, if you get a solicitation to "invest" in this great find, seriously consider putting your money into passbook savings at .90% annual return -- it'd be way safer.

[Warren DeMontague]

48. What are you talking about? It's on the innernet! With a web page

containing Chevron logos and graphs, and everything!

I mean, it MUST be legit, right?

:crazy:

[slaveplanet]

59. legit as a bunch of oilioniares

trying to convince everone there's none left.

[Warren DeMontague]

62. Oh, there's some left.

It's a finite resource, but there's probably still enough left for the human race to continue to foul our nest and fight over the scraps for a few more decades, at least.

Whether or not we're too stupid as a species to begin to really address the underlying issue, i.e. the fact that we power our shit with an environmentally destructive substance that is bound to run out eventually, that's another matter.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

52. Remember that episode of the X-Files...

they discovered a huge oil deposit right around there. The oil was the black cancer.

:tinfoilhat:

[joeunderdog]

60. Maybe they'll find some funding for LA recovery after all.

All the greedy Exxoners will be lobbying for Katrina relief for the executive suites that were destroyed by the Hurricaine. Let's all chip in for the hot tub, shall we?

[0007]

61. Ah yes!

[hatrack]

68. Yes, the oil majors always farm out their exploration to universities . .

:eyes:

[anitar1]

72. News is 3 years old! n/t

[kestrel91316]

73. "University of Cornell"???

This tells me right away that whoever wrote this article was NOT a serious journalist.

I suspect he meant "Cornell University", but who can be sure? And if he can't even get the school right, what makes you think he can get any facts right?

[Strelnikov_]

74. 'Bogus Fabrication' Per The Oil Drum

"The information was gathered from source rocks deep below the sea and was discovered by a team lead by Larry Cathles, a chemical geologist from Cornell and funded by a grant from Chevron"

I called and talked to Larry Cathles and he said it was a bogus fabrication. There is a large amount of source rock down there, and his group studied where it was migrating to, but in no sense did they find significant amounts of recoverable oil.

http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2006/5/1/181751/9406#comments

Guess the Hummer order is off again.

[NorthernSpy]

75. even if it were true, that's only about eight years' worth of oil...

... at our current consumption rate. Daily oil consumption in the US stands at 20 million barrels a day.

Sorry to be a wet blanket on this. It's just that we really are looking at a future of rising energy prices and scarcity, and we can't expect to simply drill our way out of it on the strength of a dubious claim reported three years ago (and not heard of since).

I don't like it either, but I guess we have to face facts sometime.

If this 60 billion barrel claim were true, we could use that energy to prepare our infrastructure for an oil-scarce future. A grace period like that would give us time and resources to get our act together. It would be a miracle.

But what do you wanna bet that we would just squander it like we've squandered every other damn thing we were blessed with over the years?

Oh, and by the way: there is no "University of Cornell". That school in Ithaca, NY calls itself Cornell University. Not to be nitpicky, but alleged 'news' stories that get those little details wrong make me skeptical.

[AzDar]

79. I understand the local sea-creatures were recently observed trying to

purchase Nigerian Yellowcake..Operation Free Sea Turtle, here we come.
'Fighting 'em down there', etc...